Gud Twins Tourney, Twinkie Town Title, Game 6: Read all about it

Results

Through the early innings of Game 6, the Wonder Years appeared en route to cruise to Game 7 and regain the momentum lost during their three games on the road.

It took two innings for the Baseballers to end their ease. Another four later, they destroyed it.

In an 11-inning battle, the Inside Baseballers came out on top 5-3 to win the Twinkie Town Title and cap off a dominating season.

Initially, however, the Years were in position to capture game 6 after a three-run second inning. Postseason superstar Bobby Kielty clouted a solo home run, his seventh of the playoffs and fourth of the series, to open the scoring.

Three batters later, with a man on second, Mark Salas looped a Carl Pavano offering around the foul pole to extend that lead to 3-0.

From that point on, though, Pavano settled down, allowing only three more hits while on the mound.

Meanwhile, the Baseballers were encountering difficulty in their aims to break through against Kevin Tapani. Tapani had allowed just one run in Game 1 and he continued to keep Inside bats quiet for the first five innings, allowing only two hits.

But cracks showed in Wonder’s veneer in the sixth. Byron Buxton led off the inning with a single, and after a strikeout, stole second and came around to score on series MVP Tony Oliva’s single. Oliva swiped second as well and one-upped Buxton by going after third, scoring when Salas’ throw sailed into the outfield.

But Tapani settled down, escaping the sixth while maintaining Wonder’s now-one-run lead. After a strikeout to open the seventh, Tapani ceded the mound to Tom Johnson in hopes that the bullpen could keep the Years ahead.

Three batters later, they couldn’t.

Though Johnson induced a Joe Mauer groundout for the second retirement of the frame, Steve Lombardozzi doubled over Lew Ford’s head to put the tying run in scoring position. That summoned Buxton:

Though Tom Brunansky popped out to end the frame, Buxton’s single had tied the score and brought this game down to the bullpens.

And up through the tenth inning, neither bullpen surrendered an inch, both closers Joe Nathan and Dick Hyde having entered in the ninth and pitched two spotless innings.

Neither made it through the eleventh.

Hyde started the second extra inning by inducing a pair of groundouts, but his high pitch count began to take a toll. Zoilo Versalles singled, Kent Hrbek took a pitch off the body, and Rich Rollins walked, loading the bases and finally summoning a call to the bullpen. John Butcher trotted to the hill, only to face a known clutch hitter in Mauer:

Mauer’s two-run single gave the Baseballers their first lead of the game, one which Nathan looked to maintain in the bottom of the inning.

Nathan encountered early trouble, as Nick Punto singled and Rich Reese sent a liner to right which was snared on a dive by Oliva.

Nathan struck out the hapless Jacque Jones (.080 AVG for the series) for the second out, but pinch hitter Cristian Guzmán singled, bringing up the ever-dangerous Kielty as the potential winning run.

The Baseballers countered by calling in LaTroy Hawkins from the bullpen, his first appearance of the Series.

It lasted one batter.

The series is over. The tournament is won.

But there’s still more to be done.

OOTP presents their awards after the postseason. The final article of this series will serve as a tournament wrap-up and awards ceremony.

See you then.

TTT (Game 5) | TTT (Game 6) | Wrap-Up