Sardine City notches first playoff series win

Sardine City secured the franchise's first playoff series win in its fourth postseason appearance, beating Blue Ridge in four games.

The 4th-seeded Straphangers knocked off the new kid on the block, defeating the 5th-seeded Bombers, who were making their postseason debut in their 10th anniversary season.

It's the second year in a row in the playoffs for Sardine City, which also was the No. 4 seed last year, falling to Allentown in 5 games. Sardine City earned wild cards in 2010, as a No. 3 seed, and 2011, as a No. 5. The Straphangers entered the 2017 postseason with a record of 3-9.

Sardine City (85-77) held off Livingston to win the Piazza Division by 2 games and secure the No. 4 seed. Blue Ridge (93-69) chased Tucson all season for the Clemente Division but finished 7 games back, earning the 2nd wild card and the 5th seed. Head to head, Blue Ridge held the advantage 6-4 while also one of only two playoff teams with a winning record (32-22) over the playoff field. Sardine City was 24-26 in games versus the other five playoff teams.

The Straphangers' pitching proved to be too much of an advantage, compiling a 2.66 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 42 strikeouts against just 4 walks, shutting down a Bombers attack that ranked 4th in the league during the season at 4.8 runs per game. Sardine City outscored Blue Ridge 24-14 over four games, batting .254/.298/.527 to Blue Ridge's .260/.279/.405.

The Bombers bullpen can't be blamed: Five Blue Ridge relievers made 2 appearances each, combining for 17 scoreless innings. That means Blue Ridge starters yielded all 24 runs over the other 26 innings in the series. Overall, the Bombers compiled a 5.02 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, with 53 strikeouts and 11 walks, and saw their best start in Game 1.

Tyler Flowers (.412/.474/.588) was the unlikely batting hero, with a team-high 7 hits and 5 RBI for Sardine City. Corey Seager (.438/.500/.814) matched him in hits and Ryan Schimpf (.353/.389/1.118) matched his RBI total while leading the Straphangers with 3 home runs.

Blue Ridge's Sandy Leon also had 7 hits, batting .538/.500/.846 in 3 games, most of his damage in a Game 2 marathon. Francisco Lindor had 5 hits, including two home runs and Derek Dietrich was 5-for-11 in limited action. Carlos Santana went 1-19 in 4 starts at 1B, his lone hit a solo home run late in Game 4. The Bombers' Mitchell Award candidate Edwin Encarnacion had a tough series, going 3-for-20 with 1 double (.150/.190/.200), including two double plays at crucial points.


Game 1: Sardine City 5, Blue Ridge 1
Blue Ridge jumped out to a 1-0 lead after Edwin Encarnacion doubled home Derek Dietrich, who led off the game with a single. The Straphangers answered right back in the bottom of the inning when Christian Yelich led off with a home run. Back-to-back doubles by Corey Seager and Joc Pederson gave Sardine City a 2-1 lead and Tyler Flowers singled in another run before getting gunned down at second base. After one inning, the Straphangers had a 3-1 lead and it would stay that way for another six innings.

The Bombers didn't do much with back-to-back two-out singles in the 2nd and their best scoring opportunity came in the 4th. Ryan Braun, acquired from Sardine City at the deadline, singled and took second on an error, advancing to third on another error but getting stranded there.

Blue Ridge's Jake Odorizzi was tagged for 5 runs on 7 hits in 7 2/3 innings with most of the damage during a four-hit, three-run first inning. Otherwise, he was pretty sharp, giving up just two singles through 7. Odorizzi walked Addison Russell to start the 8th and Ryan Schrimpf made him pay with a two-run homer, extending Sardine City's lead to 5-1, which is how it ended.

Joe Ross got the win, scattering 6 hits and a run over 5 1/3 with 3 strikeouts. Pedro Baez was even more impressive, tossing 1-hit ball over the final 3 2/3 innings in just 29 pitches to earn the save.
Both teams had 7 hits but the Straphangers were efficient, leaving just two men on base while the Bombers left 5.

Game 2: Blue Ridge 7, Sardine City, 5 (17 innings)
Blue Ridge won its first every playoff game in historic fashion: It's believed to be the longest extra-inning playoff game in league history.

Sandy Leon was the hitting star, going 5-for-7 with a HR and 3 RBI, while Braun was not. The former longtime Straphanger struck out 6 times and walked once for the Bombers. Masahiro Tanaka wasn't overly helpful, yielding 5 runs and 7 hits over 5 2/3 innings, with 6 Ks and 3 BBs.

Alex Wood went a clean 6 innings (7 hits, 3 runs, 8 Ks and 1 BB) for Sardine City, with Baez and Hector Rondon each going an inning to set up a save situation for Koji Uehara. He got pinch-hitter Jackie Bradley, Jr., then Jason Kipnis before pinch-hitter Derek Dietrich singled, bringing up the tying run. Tyler Naquin, who had come on to pinch-hit for Andrew McCutchen an inning earlier, then homered to right, tying the game at 5-5 and leaving fans at The Cannery in stunned silence.

Blue Ridge relievers were the stars, limiting Sardine City to 3 hits over 11 2/3 innings. Jeremy Blevins came on in relief of Tanaka struck out the final batter to end the 6th. He surrendered a lead-off double to Evan Longoria then Seager flied to left before Blevins proceeded to mow down the next 7 Straphangers all via strikeout to get through the 9th.

Sardine City's offense got started early again, with two solo homers in the 1st from Longoria and Joc Pederson. Yelich slammed another solo homer leading off the 3rd. After a couple walks and a wild pitch, Eric Hosmer knocked in another run to make it 4-1. Leon's two-run blast in the 5th would make it 4-3. Tyler Flowers drove in a what appeared to be an insurance run in the 5th to make it 5-3.

Leon got the final Bombers rally going in the 17th inning with a double and Braun was hit by a pitch before Edwin Encarnacion grounded into a double play, leaving just Leon on 3rd base. Francisco Lindor drove him in for a 6-5 lead and Bradley followed with a triple to make it a two-run cushion but was left there to end the inning.

The Straphangers made a stand in the bottom of the 17th. After two strikeouts, No. 9 hitter Ryan Schrimpf doubled, Robert Osuna gave Yelich an intentional pass before walking Longoria to load the bases. Javy Baez, who had come on for Seager in the 8th to play shortshop, flied to center to end the game with the tying runs in scoring position.

Game 3: Sardine City 5, Blue Ridge 1
Corey Kluber had probably the best start of the series for either squad: 8 innings, 7 hits and 1 run with 9 strikeouts. Jeff Samardjzia, acquired with Braun mid-season from Sardine City, gave up 5 runs over 6 innings, yielding 7 hits and recording 6 strikeouts.

Schimpf and a triple and a home run but it was Flowers' 2-run homer in the 6th that gave the Straphangers more breathing room, extending a 3-1 lead to 5-1.

In the top of the inning, Blue Ridge loaded the bases with singles by the top of the order but Encarnacion picked an inopportune time to ground into another double play. Braun grounded out to end the inning and the threat.

Game 4: Sardine City 9, Blue Ridge 5
The bats heated up in the Game 4 clincher, for both teams. Seager got the Straphangers on the board early again with a 2-run blast in the 1st, and Yelich doubled home two runs in the 2nd to break open a 4-0 lead.

Blue Ridge blasted four homers but all were solo shots, including back-to-back by Lindor and Franklin Gutierrez to start the 4th that cut the lead to 4-2. An error and three singles netted the Bombers a run in the 5th to make it 4-3. Sardine City countered with a solo homer from Schimpf to get it back to a 2-run lead. Carlos Santana had his only hit of the series with a solo HR in the 6th to make it a 5-4 game, sending Straphangers starter Daniel Norris to the showers.

To that point, Blue Ridge starter Ivan Nova had managed to keep the Bombers in the game, despite surrendering 10 hits and 5 runs, including a 4th inning that saw three hits but no runs. Sardine City smacked three doubles, 5 hits in all, plating 4 runs to make it a 9-5 lead. Nova left after 6 2/3 innings with an ugly line of 15 hits, 9 earned runs, to go with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk.

On the other side, lefty Brian Flynn tossed 1-hit ball over the last 3 innings for the save, making a winner out of Norris despite the mediocre line: 5 2/3 innings, 9 hits, 4 runs (3 earned).

Sardine City advances to face the No. 1 seed, Vancouver Iron Fist.