For the first time since 1997, the Punxatawney Groundhogs won a postseason
game. After being swept in 1998 by Vero Beach, the Hogs won their first
divisional playoff game against the Binghamton Mets today by a 7-5 score.
It was an excellent game, the first of what will likely be an intense
series.
Binghamton, relying heavily on star pitcher Andy Ashby, hoped to take a 1-0
lead by sending him to the mound in the opener. Dan Shapiro, Punxatawney
manager, countered with Jon Lieber, only 11-10 on the season but with the
lowest ERA of any starter.
"Jon was a little unlucky in the wins and losses column this year," Shapiro
said, "but he's always been our go-to-guy."
The series opened with a bang, as Binghamton scored twice in the first and
once in the second for an early 3-0 lead. But unlikely hero Jason Giambi
countered with a three run blast in the bottom of the second, plating
Geronimo Berroa and Dan Wilson. Giambi has been criticized many times by
league commissioner Matt Peck for being the weak link of the Hogs offense,
but proved him wrong on this day.
"Back in 1997, I played way over my head. I can't hope to approach that
level again, realistically, but I can play solid baseball," said Giambi.
"That's what I did today."
The game remained tied until the Hogs scored 3 more in the 4th, taking a 6-3
lead. But Binghamton responded quickly, playing two runs in the top of the
5th to drawn to within 1.
"I thought about pulling Jon [Lieber] after they had two in and two on, but
he got out of the jam," Shapiro mentioned in a postgame interview.
The Hogs helped out their starter by giving him a larger cushion, scoring
once in the bottom of the 5th and taking a 7-5 lead. And Lieber would keep
it that way--for the rest of the game. He settled in and kept the Mets from
threatening for the next four innings, closing it out by getting Joe Carter
to fly out to Alex Ochoa in right.
"Well, Jon never gave me a reason to replace him after the 5th," Shapiro
said. "And with the bullpen problems we've had this year, it makes sense to
try and get a full game out of the starters."
This was only the 4th complete game Lieber has thrown in the past three
years, regular season and postseason included. He seemed to show no signs
of tiring, even though he did throw 158 pitches.
"I felt fine. It was the crowd," said Lieber. "They kept me pumped all
game."
While his line isn't that impressive--9 innings, 12 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 2
strikeouts--the most important statistic is the win. He certainly outdueled
the Mets' Ashby, who threw only 4 innings while allowing 6 earned runs.
Offensively, the Hogs once again had a team effort. Every starter except
Jose Valentin had a hit. Jason Giambi drove in 3 with his homerun, and Alex
Ochoa drove in two runs as well. Even backup Kevin Sefcik, who had only 6
at bats during the regular season, got a hit in the 8th inning when he was
in as a defensive replacement.
"Kevin really impressed our coaches in [AAA affiliate] Roswell," said
Shapiro. "He didn't get much a chance to play in the bigs this season, but
we needed a versatile defensive backup for the playoffs. Today he did a
nice job hitting too."
In 8 regular season games, Sefcik was 2-6 with 1 run scored and a walk. He
came in for Giambi in the 8th inning, allowing Ryan Klesko to move to first
while he played left field. He made 1 catch and got a single in his only
plate appearance.
"It was really something," said Sefcik. "I'm used to playing in front of
5,000 people down in Roswell, not 50,000 screaming nuts here in Punxatawney.
It wasn't difficult adjusting, but it was amazing to hear all the fans."
The team effort topped the star power on this occasion. Mark McGwire and
Ken Caminti both had great games, combining to go 6-11, but the Mets didn't
have the clutch hitting through the lineup like the Groundhogs, and they
only got 5 runs to show for their 12 hits and 3 walks.
With a 1-0 lead, the Groundhogs can take command of the series with a
victory tomorrow. They are sending Rocky Coppinger to the mound against
David Cone. Here's a comparison of the two pitchers.
While the Hogs have the advantage on paper, Cone is a historically strong
starter, boasting a 38-26 record and 3.70 ERA over the last three years.
Coppinger is 39-20, 3.48, over the same span.
On another note, there were no security disturbances by the supposed Mets
Militia, but Shapiro worried that they might respond aggressively to the
loss by their ace Ashby. Because of this, already high security levels have
been raised even more. A squadron of attack helicopters will patrol the
skies around the stadium to control all Mets Militia activities.
"The fans from Binghamton have been quite nice so far," remarked Tony
Batista. "They cheered for their team, gave Jason a nice applause when he
hit that homerun, and didn't cause any problems. But with Garnar in charge,
those Militia folk could cause problems at any time."
Stay tuned for crucial game two, tomorrow in Punxatawney!
