2005 SEASON
SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 2:
CHICAGO @ HOUSTON
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 (Game 159) –
CHICAGO CUBS @ HOUSTON
Chicago 3, Houston 2
I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting finish: Down by 1, 2 outs, pinch runner on first, the new kid up from the minors at the plate. Luke Skywalker hits a double to center! Gipson runs his heart out past second, past third, into home! The center fielder throws to the cutoff, who fires the ball to the plate. Gipson tries to run down the catcher – but he’s out at the plate, and the game is over.
I might have asked for a different ending.
Or maybe for a more exciting start. Cubs starter, Glendon Rusch, wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t unhittable either. The Astros actually did a good job of getting on base. But as often happens, they stranded the runners and didn’t score.
Wandy didn’t do a bad job at the plate either – 7 innings, 3 ERs on 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 Ks. The first two runs were solo homers – hey, they happen. But Wandy fell apart in the 7th, and played a big part in the Cubs scoring that 3rd and winning run. It wasn’t hits that did him in. It was a hit batsman, who moved up to third base on what should have been a double play but wasn’t because of an error, and who scored on a wild pitch. Just plain messiness.
The Astros wore home stripes.
High points:
- Berkman got a solo home run in the 2nd for the Astros first run.
- Wheeler pitched 2 beautiful innings in relief. He gave up only one hit, no runs, no walks, and struck out 3 batters.
- Bagwell pinch hit in the 7th, and got an RBI sac fly.
Disappointments:
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Boston won, but so did the Yanks. It goes down to the face-off this weekend…
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Phillies had the day off, saving up their energy for a last-ditch effort in Washington this weekend.
- The Padres clinched the NL West last night with a perfect .500 record. It will be fascinating to see if they can hold on to it, or if they go into the playoffs with a losing season. There oughta be a law…
- The White Sox beat the Tigers, 4-2, to clinch the AL Central.
W: G. Rusch (9-8) L: W. Rodriguez (10-10) S: R. Dempster (32)
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2005 (Game 160) –
CHICAGO CUBS @ HOUSTON
Chicago 4, Houston 3
It was good that this game was on Friday night, and I wasn’t able to watch it live. I probably would have had a complete meltdown seeing the Astros lose the way they did. When I woke up at 5 AM on Saturday, I ran outside in my pajamas to grab the newspaper, tore it open to the Sports section, and only read the first sentence before going back to bed: “Brad Lidge couldn’t hold onto the lead…”
They lost in the 9th when Lidge blew his first save in 3 months. After 25 successful saves in a row, give the guy a break – he’s allowed to be human. But can’t he be human after the Astros win the World Series?
Pettitte pitched beautifully again: Seven innings, 5 hits, no walks, 6 strikeouts. But like too many other games this season, when an Astros starter pitched a great game, he didn’t get the win. He left the game after 7 with the score tied 1-1. Qualls gave up an unearned run in the 8th. But Lance Berkman hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th to give the Astros a fragile 3-2 lead. After Lidge’s recent impeccable pitching, the crowd was totally psyched up for the win. But Lidge’s slider wasn’t right; he gave up consecutive leadoff hits, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Then a double scored the first run; one out later, a single scored the second. The Astros were unable to add on in the 9th, and that was the game.
And to make it worse, the Phillies won in Washington.
The Astros wore home stripes.
High points:
- Pettitte lowered his ERA for the season to 2.39 – second only to Clemens in the NL. He finishes the season with a 17-9 record, a very successful comeback from last year’s injury.
- Mike Lamb has rediscovered his ability to hit, finally, as the season is ending. He hit another home run, a solo in the 2nd inning.
- Biggio’s double in the 3rd inning was the 603rd in his career, tying him with Cal Ripkin on the all time list.
Disappointments:
- The Astros loaded the bases in the 6th on 3 consecutive walks, but failed to score. They left 8 runners stranded in this game.
- The Cubs scored in the 8th with two outs, after what should have been the 3rd out. For the second night in a row, Everett made an error that resulted in a run scoring. It was just his 14th error of the season.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- Boston beat the Yankees, 5-3, to tie up the AL East again.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Phillies beat Washington, 4-3, to reduce the Astros lead in the Wild Card race to 1 game.
W: R. Novoa (4-5) L: B. Lidge (4-4) S: R. Dempster (33)
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2005 (Game 161) –
CHICAGO CUBS @ HOUSTON
Houston 3, Chicago 1
With Roger Clemens on the mound and the playoff on the line, this game was rescheduled for the afternoon to satisfy the national TV folks. The moment the third start popped into the sky, I ran to the computer to find out the result. I had my eyes closed waiting for Astros.com to come up in the browser, fearing the worst (another Astros loss and Phillies win). But the headline was beautiful:
Astros clinch at least a tie for Wild Card
Alas, the Phillies also won today, so it will really go down the the very last game of the season – or possibly even a sudden-death playoff on Monday.
Despite his sore hamstring, Clemens pitched what has become his classic game this season: 7 innings, 1 ER on a handful of hits. The only run that he gave up was in the 4th, with 1 out, after Clemens had loaded the bases on 3 consecutive singles; Garciaparra hit a sac fly. Clemens intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases again, then struck out the pitcher to end the inning. The 7 inning/1 run routine has become Classic Clemens this year – resulting in his miniscule ERA (1.87), the lowest in the major leagues in years. But as he knows from hard experience this year, even with good relief pitching, it’s no guarantee of a win. The Astros have to score some runs to go with it, something that all too often they have failed to do when Clemens has started.
When Clemens left the game in the 7th, the Astros had a precarious 2-1 lead. They added on an insurance run in the bottom of the 7th, when Bagwell pinch hit an RBI ground ball, scoring Everett from third base. This time the Astros relievers were able to hold on. Wheeler got out the first 2 batters in the 8th, then gave a scare as he allowed 2 consecutive singles before inducing a ground ball to end the inning. Lidge put last night’s blown save behind him (closers must have very poor short term memory to survive), and threw only 9 pitches for a perfect 9th, earning his 41st save.
The Good Guys wore whites.
High points:
- Despite the seemingly unimpressive 13-8 record, Clemens had a truly awesome year. He finished the game with his ERA for the season at 1.87. His strikeout of Macias in the 3rd inning was the 4500th of his career.
- Biggio hit the first Cubs pitch of the game into the Crawford Boxes, for 26th home run of the season, adding on to what was already the best HR year of his career. The leadoff homer was the 44th of his career, tied for 2nd place with Brady Anderson in the all time list. (Bidge won’t ever make it to 1st place – that record is held by Rickey Henderson with 80.)
- Willie T hit a double in the 6th, then scored on Lane’s 2-out single for the Astros 2nd (and ultimately winning) run of the game. I really really really do not miss Carlos Beltran this year. Taveras has been incredible!
Disappointments:
- It would have been nice (but uncharacteristic) for the Astros to have given Clemens a big blowout, run-wise. It was the 3rd game in a row in which they did not exceed 3 runs. Despite great pitching, that’s not going to carry them far in the playoffs. Maybe they’re saving it all for tomorrow’s finale? One can only hope!
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Red Sox lost to the Yankees, giving NY the AL East title. So the Yankees will be in the playoffs after all. Now Boston has to stay ahead of the Indians to get a spot in the playoffs.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Phillies beat Washington again, 8-4, keeping the Astros from clinching the Wild Card. One more game… The Nats have to win tomorrow to end the year with a winning season; hopefully that goal will give them the oomph to beat the Phillies.
W: R. Clemens (13-8) L: J. Williams (6-10) S: B. Lidge (41)
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2005 (Game 162) –
CHICAGO CUBS @ HOUSTON
Houston 6, Chicago 4
ASTROS RULE! ON TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!
1:55 PM:
The game starts in 10 minutes. I can’t believe it’s already the last game of the regular season. When I started this quest to see and record every game of the season, I looked forward to months and months of watching the Astros, certain that this would be Their Year. Now it’s suddenly the end of the season, down to the very last game to determine if the Good Guys will make the playoffs. I don’t know whether to be frantic watching the game today, or to try to put myself into some kind of catatonic state to avoid having a heart attack.
The TV coverage just came online. Oh happy day! It’s FSN Houston – I would have so bummed out if I had to listen to the Chicago guys today. Bill Brown and Larry Dierker are my gurus, my sherpas, my gameday buds. There’s nothing worse than hearing some out-of-town TV guy say, “Oh well, Bagwell got a hit.” I want to hear the Houston guy screaming, “AND BAGWELL HITS TO WIN THE GAME!!!!!”
Here’s what will happen as a result of today’s game:
OUTCOMEAstros win Astros lose
Phillies win :-) 1 game playoff tomorrow in Philly
They have to win today. I will go nuts if they go to Philadelphia for a playoff, and I have to turn off the computer for the holiday before the game ends.
2:05 PM:
The game is about to start. I am going to do something I never do – write up the game diary online during the game, to capture my feelings and events as they happen. I usually take all my game notes on paper, too superstitious to type anything up during the game. But today, I want to capture my crazy reactions, speculations, predictions, moans and groans, giddiness and crises, moment by moment as I experience them. My handwritten notes are always full of happy faces, sad faces, exclamation points, curses – and after the game I clean it up for the diary. After all, it’s about the Astros; it’s not about me. Well, that’s not really true, is it? I’m the only one who’s ever read these writeups – so in the end, actually, it’s really all about me. It’s all about what kind of 51 year old woman sits in her home office virtually every night for 6 months, clapping her hands and crying real tears when her baseball team does something wonderful. (An obsessed one? Obsessed in a good way, of course.)
The Good Guys are wearing Sunday home reds.
The Phillies just scored against the Nats. They lead 1-0 in the 4th. Time to go… I think I’m going to throw up.
Roy Oswalt is on the mound to pitch the game of his career. Patterson flies out on the first pitch. Macias grounds out to 3rd. Batting champ Derek Lee strikes out swinging. Oswalt got the first 3 Cubs 1-2-3. I need a drink.
2:13 PM:
The Astros are up. Biggio is leading off again today. Garner must like the results he’s had swapping Biggio and Taveras in the lineup. And G-d knows Biggio’s comfortable batting first, after all these years.
Greg Maddux, longtime Astros nemesis, is on the mount – his career record against Houston is 26-11. This is not going to be his day though.
Biggio leads off with a double. Taveras sac-bunts him to third. Ensberg hits an RBI single – Astros lead 1-0!!! (I’m already starting to weep.) Berkman hits a little grounder, is tagged out, but Ensberg makes it to second. Lamb is playing today – he’s really shaped up in the past month, after 5 really dismal ones. I haven’t complained about him in weeks. Hey there are only 2 outs! Let’s Go Astros!
LAMB HITS! Mansolino waves! Ensberg beats the throw to the plate by a nanosecond -- Astros lead 2-0!!!
Lane grounds out. First inning is over. Do I want this game to last forever? Do I want it to hurry up and end? I am going downstairs to pour myself a glass of wine before I faint.
2:22 PM:
Top of the second. Oswalt is throwing hard, at his usual fast pace. Garciapparo strikes out. Burnitz strike outs looking on a backdoor slider. Barrett strikes out swinging. Oswalt stuck out the side. That’s 4 Ks in a row. It’s so beautiful, I’m shaking.
2:30 PM:
Ausmus leads off – he’s a career .350 against Maddux – but not this time. He grounds out to 3rd. Everett ditto – career .375 vs Maddux – but he also grounds out to 3rd. Oswalt battles for half a dozen pitches (don’t tire yourself out at the plate, Roy!) before popping out to the catcher. 1-2-3.
Damn – the Nats are not helping! Philadelphia is now leading 4-0! With 2 outs in the 5th, Carasco gave up a single, a walk, and back-to-back doubles!
2:38 PM:
Cubs up in the top of the 3rd. With 1 out, a blooper hit turns into a double, and the runner advances to 3rd on a funky throw. Maddux is up, bunt is on. He hits a ground ball to short – Everett throws to the plate and Ausmus gets the runner! Maddux goes to 1st, then scampers to 2nd on a wild pitch. Macias up – 3-2 count – oh man, Roy, don’t walk him. You don’t want the bases loaded with Derek Lee coming up! Ground ball to 3rd, Ensberg’s got it – you go, Mo! End of threat.
2:46 PM:
BEE-ZHEE-OHHHH! The crowd loves this guy. Bidge hits a leadoff single, bounced off Garciapparo to the shortstop. Taveras puts down another sac bunt, Bidge goes to second. Oh, Ensberg – you are so overdue for a home run! Rats – fielders choice and Biggio gets tagged out at 3rd (why did he run?). Two outs – Berkman hits a fly ball right to the left fielder. Still 2-0, Astros, after 3.
And those pesky Phillies have runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs in the 6th. The Nats are no help today – the Astros have got to go this alone.
2:57 PM:
Top of the 4th, with Derek Lee (NL batting champ this year) up to bat. Lee strikes out! Garciaparro grounds out to Bidge, 2 down. Burnitz strikes out swinging - K #6 for the Wizard.
My first glass of wine was the leftovers from Friday night’s dinner – an Israeli cab-merlot blend, from a winery called Ramim -- not bad for an inexpensive red. I’m mulling over what to try next. Maybe bourbon. I need to keep myself from freaking out here, but I don’t want to end up in a stupor and miss the last game of the season…
The Phillies now lead 5-0, with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 6th. They players may claim that they don’t watch the scoreboard (they lie), but I do.
3:02 PM:
Bottom of the 4th. Good boy, Lamb – a lead off single! Runner going, Lane hits it foul. Probably a hit & run, Lamb’s not a stealer. Lane’s been really hot the past few weeks – he hits a single, Lamb to second. Ausmus is up (he’s batting 7th today, with Everett behind him) –his batting improves at the end of the season, but he tends to hit into double plays… should he hit or bunt? He hits – straight into a double play. Two outs. Maddux puts Everett on, intentional walk. Runners on 1st and 3rd, 2 outs, and Oswalt up. 0-2 count, and Everett steals second. 1-2 count. Oswalt is tied with Clemens for most hits by Astros pitchers, with 12. He hits a ground ball. UNBELIEVABLE! Oswalt beat out an infield grounder, for an RBI hit. Astros lead 3-0!
BEEE-ZHEEEE-OHHHH! He hits it HARD. Damn, Garciapparo spears it.
The good news from Washington, if you can call it that, is that the Phillies left the bases loaded in the 6th. It could have been worse. The Nats need one of those miraculous 7-run innings right now.
3:15 PM:
WOW! The Nats are listening to me. Ryan Church (the one who got in trouble over his remarks about poor doomed Jews) just hit a 3-run homer, cutting the Phillies lead to 5-3.
I wasn’t paying attention to the start of the 5th, and Barrett hit the pole in left for a (just barely) home run. Rats. Now it’s 3-1. Murton hits a grounder, Ensberg can’t hold on, infield hit. Hey guys, we really need a DP here. The TV guys say that Perez leads the Cubs in hitting into double plays, but he just keeps hitting foul balls. He singles – runners on 1st and 3rd with only 1 out. Maddux is up – he bunts to the mound. Oswalt grabs it, throws to second, and Everett chucks it over to first, for a 1-6-3 double play! That was beautiful. Still need another out. Oh shit. Patterson doubles, scoring the runner from 3rd. It’s 3-2. Macias grounds out. One run lead – way too close.
3:25 PM:
Willie T beats out another infield grounder. That’s about 70 of them this year. Ensberg’s up… When was the last time he hit a homer? It’s been a while – now would be good… He strikes out. Berkman now. I’m on my second glass of red wine. This one was the last glass left in a bottle of Argentinian tempranillo. Not bad, but I like the Spanish tempranillos better.
Come on, guys – you HAVE to break out. One run is not a big enough lead for a day like today. Berkman strikes out swinging. Lamb is up with 2 outs and a runner on. He’s 2 for 2… he taps to 2nd to end the inning.
In other news, Boston leads the Yankees 2-0 in the bottom of the 4th, while Cleveland’s losing 3-1 in the 7th. Boston’s in the same position as the Astros – if they win, or if Cleveland loses, they clinch the AL Wild Card. Otherwise, a one-game playoff tomorrow.
3:36 PM:
Oswalt is facing the 3-4-5 batters in the top of the 6th, starting with Derek Lee. Grounder to Bidge, one down. Garciaparra now. Hits to right, it drops in for a single. Burnitz hits to left, runners now on first and second, with one out. A double play would be really nice right now… It’s way to close. I’m starting to hyperventilate.
Barrett up – another single – the throw to home is off line and the tying run scores. OH FUCK. The runner goes to 2nd on the play at home. Murton hits to center field, looks like another hit, but Taveras dives to catch it. That was one beautiful catch! I love this guy! Two out.
Another single – the Cubs are leading 4-3 now. Oswalt is getting beat up, and Maddux is up with runners on 1st and 3rd. Maddux flies out to end the inning, but the damage is done. For the first time in the game, the Astros are behind. The Astros are NOT a come-from-behind team. They have to score now.
In other news, Atlanta leads 6-4 in the bottom of the 8th against Florida. Dontrelle pitched the first 7, giving up 3, but won’t get his 23rd win today.
The Phillies still lead by 2 in the top of the 8th. COME ON, Nats! Do something here!
3:48 PM:
Bottom of the 6th…
WHOA BABY! Maddux throws one over the middle of the plate and Jason Lane hits it out to tie the game 4-4! That is exactly what I meant by needing to score now!
Ausmus takes it to a 3-2 count, but grounds out for the 3rd time today.
Qualls is warming up for the Astros. The Astros really need to score again in this inning to keep Oswalt eligible for the win – it would be his 20th win, for the second season in a row!
Everett singles. Bagwell’s pinch hitting. He hits foul after foul. Then a grounder to short – OH NO – not a double play! Hey, I can’t believe it – the throw is bad, goes astray, Everett scores!!!! Bagwell’s on THIRD! A 3-base error and the Astros lead again 5-4! Bagwell is the Astros lucky charm, say the Astros’ TV announcers. I think they are right.
Dusty Baker is pissed. He’s pulling the pitcher (it’s not MADDUX’s fault).
BEEE-ZHHEEEE-OHHHH! One out, Gipson (PR for Bagwell) on third. SCORE HIM!!!!!
WILD PITCH! Gipson scores! 6-4 lead!
Biggio hits a ground ball to Garciaparro – and almost beats the throw. Two outs. Taveras grounds out. Inning over. But the Astros lead, and it’s still Oswalt’s game to win.
4:04 PM:
Seventh inning: There’s still a third of the game to go. Now it’s up to the relievers. Qualls is on the mound against the top of the Cubs lineup. He strikes out Patterson on really bad looking pitches! Macias grounds right to Lamb, who tags him on the baseline. There’s only two down () with the scary Derek Lee at the plate. He flies out to Lane. Nice going, Qualls!
In Washington, Guillen is on 3rd with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. The Phillies bring in Billy Wagner. He strikes out Byrd to end the threat. DAMN. I don’t mind if Wagner pulls out the save, as long as the Astros win. I like Billy Wagner. But I don’t want to have to see him tomorrow, just as I’m turning off the computer to light my Rosh Hashanah candles!
In other news, Boston leads the Yankees 6-0 in the bottom of the 5th. But Cleveland lost against the White Sox, so Boston’s going to the playoffs whether or not they win.
4:11 PM:
Ensberg leads off with a single. Berkman hits into a double play.
The Nats give away another run, and the Phillies lead 6-3 in the top of the 9th.
Lamb takes 3 balls. Foul on a checked swing. Called strike. 3-2 count. Swing and a miss. Lamb strikes out to end the inning.
The Phillies score again; it’s now 7-3. I’m going to stop watching the scoreboard. The Nats are useless; the Phillies are going to sweep them. The Astros are on their own.
4:18 PM:
Top of the 8th… Wheeler’s pitching against the middle of the Cubs’ lineup. Garciaparro grounds out. One down. Burnitz fouls out to Ausmus. Two down. Only two down – I can’t hope yet. It’s not over until it’s over. Barrett grounds out to short.
Take a deep breath, Susan.
4:24 PM:
The bottom half of the Astros’ lineup is up in the bottom of the 8th. I’m hoping for some runs, to keep Lidge from having to pitch again today. He pitched in the last two games. Maybe he’s tired. But I know that the Astros totally trust Lidge with the 9th, even if he’s tired from the last couple of games.
The Cubs bring in a rookie pitcher.
Lane leads off. Another long ball to finish off the season? That would be nice. He swings like he means it. But he walks. Ausmus is 0 for 3 – will he bunt? He tries – but the play goes to 2nd and Lane is out. Everett is up with one on and one out. Wheeler’s on deck, but obviously he’s not going to bat. I’m guessing Palmeiro. Everett grounds into what looks like a DP, but beats out the play at first.
Palmeiro has been announced as the pinch hitter – and Dusty Baker’s changing to a lefty pitcher.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the Nats bring in Cordero with 2 outs and the bases loaded. Too little, too late. He hits the batter, and the Phillies lead 8-3. Frank Robinson changes pitchers again, but they’ve given up already…
Palmeiro bunts foul. Then he pops up to end the inning. It’s still 6-4, Astros lead.
4:39 PM:
It’s going to be Lidge in the 9th. If he’s not lights out today, I don’t think Garner will leave him in long. Oh, please, guys, win today. PLEASE!
The fans will be standing for the whole 9th. Burke is now playing left field, Bruntlett is at 2nd. Garner likes the young guys for defense.
Lidge has got to get out the guys at the bottom of the lineup to avoid having to pitch to their big guys! The last thing they need is to see Derek Lee at the plate in this inning. Rats - Lidge gives up a single to Murton. Cubs bring in a pinch hitter – Grieve. A guy with 19 at bats. Two strikes fast. A ball in the dirt – 1-2 count. Strike 3. I’d have rather had a DP than the K. I think my pulse is at about 140 right now.
Another pinch hitter – Todd Walker. Ground ball – short to second to start the DP. Oh no! Bruntlett drops the ball! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Top of the lineup after all. Patterson grounds to short. Runners on 1st and 3rd, two outs.
Macias up, with Derek Lee on deck. Strike one. Strike two. Foul. I can’t breath. The fans are screaming their heads off.
The Phillies won in Washington.
Macias lines to second. Bruntlett grabs the ball! Third out. It’s over.
THEY WON! THE ASTROS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!
The Phillies are going home all by themselves
I am so happy! That is probably the understatement of the season. Here’s the truth: I’m sitting in my office, all by myself, crying my eyes out.
I’m going to take a break now to watch the club house interviews, champagne showers, and general craziness.
After the Game:
- Purpura and Biggio take advantage of the happy mood to announce that they’ve agreed to a one-year contract extension. I wish it were two. But it’s great to know that he’ll be back again next year. Well, DUH – it was one of his best years ever! Garner’s comment on Biggio: "He's found the fountain of youth, and I'd like to take a few drinks from it."
- Another Announcement: Jeff Bagwell will be on the 25-man roster for the playoffs. This is news? Was there really any chance that the Astros would NOT give him the chance to get to the World Series? Geez. How tacky would that be? Break his heart? No way! He’ll be the DH! He’s their lucky charm!
High points:
- The Good Guys are going to the Playoffs! Just like last year, it went all the way to the last game of the season. The Astros are the first team to go from 15 games under .500 to 15 games over and make the playoffs in the same season since the 1914 Boston Braves. I thought I wanted them to clinch before this game, so I wouldn’t have to go through the trauma of watching. But now that they’ve won, I’m so glad I was there to watch! I totally believed in them all season, in bad times and good. But I was a nervous wreck.
- Oswalt got his 20th win, for the second year in a row. He’s third in wins, behind Dontrelle (22) and Carpenter (21).
- The bullpen was AMAZING! Qualls, Wheeler, Lidge – they’re the best! Three innings, one hit, no runs, 2 Ks, no walks, just 31 total pitches. This, combined with the dynamite Astros starters, is what’s going to win the playoffs for them! (Well, there’s not much choice; it won’t be their huge offense… There’s not one guy on the team who finished the year batting .300!)
Disappointments:
- Not a chance. It was the best game ever.
Notes on the Other Good Guys:
- The Red Sox beat the Yankees 10-1, to end the season in style. It was a gimme, since they had already clinched their playoff spot when the Indians lost earlier in the afternoon. This is the last time that any team will be considered another “good guy.” After this, it’s every team for itself.
Notes on the Other Bad Guys:
- The Phillies beat Washington, 9-3, but they had to just stand in the field and watch the scoreboard spell out their fate. Astros go to the playoffs, Phillies go home.
- Florida pulled out a 10th inning win over the Braves, 7-6, to get Atlanta into a losing mood before Houston comes to town. Too late for Dontrelle though – no decision for him.
W: R. Oswalt (20-12) L: G. Maddux (13-15) S: B. Lidge (42)
