(AP) PHOENIX--Bobby Thomson. Bill Mazeroski. Mickey
Kelly.
The Washington Sea Dogs left fielder, Mickey Kelly,
hit a ninth-inning three-run home run last night in
Phoenix to secure a miracle come-from-behind victory
against the Phoenix Gila Monsters in the Divisional
Series.
"I'm extremely happy for my team, extremely happy for
Washington and - I can't lie - very happy for myself,"
Kelly said in a postgame interview. "I'm personally
pleased that I could help bring the series back to
Washington."
Kelly, the Sea Dogs offensive MVP this season, was
also named the MVP of the Divisional Series. He drove
in ten runs in the series, and kept control while many
others faltered.
"Mickey Kelly has become more than a superstar
player," exuberant Sea Dogs manager Aaron Weiner said.
"He's become a leader of this ballclub."
Though Weiner is quick to credit Kelly, Washington's
revival from a 2-0 deficit in the Division Series has
as much to do with lineup changes as with any single
player.
"We couldn't produce a thing in the first two games,"
Weiner said. "So we put in the backups."
The backups won the Sea Dogs two straight games on the
road, in Phoenix. In game 3, they actually won a
scoring battle with the Gila Monsters, something few
teams have done this season. In Game 4, it was the
masterful pitching of Joey Hamilton that helped close
the door.
But in Game 5, there was no clear outcome. Shawn
Estes followed up his game 2 disaster with a solid
seven-inning, nine hit outing, and the Sea Dogs had a
4-3 lead at his depature from the game.
But John Wetteland - who may have lost his closer role
due to recent ineffectiveness - allowed a run in the
eighth inning, and going into the top of the ninth,
the score was tied at 4 apiece.
Phoenix then brought in Jeff Nelson to close, since
Robb Nen was unavailable for the ballgame, having
pitched the two previous days.
Nelson managed to retire the first batter, Harold
Baines. Shortstop Ernie Young singled, and ninth
hitter Eric Young walked. That brought up Chuck
Knoblauch, but Knoblauch popped out.
Which brought up Mickey Kelly with two outs. Nelson
was too fine on the first two pitches, throwing two
balls right off the plate that Kelly didn't even wave
at.
And on 2-0, with the Youngs on base, Kelly received a
slider right down the middle which he deposited in the
right-field bleachers.
The Gila Monsters had a chance to recover in the
bottom of the ninth inning, but after losing the last
two games, they seemed demoralized - and Dwight Gooden
put them down in order, striking out two.
"We were just hoping for a chance to win the series,"
Ernie Young, who hit .201 in the regular season, said.
"We kept holding out and holding out all throughout
the last two games, and we got a chance tonight, and
thank G-d, Mickey took care of it."
The Sea Dogs will now go to their second Defiant
League Championship Series to face always-venerable
Punxatawney. Game 1 starter for the Sea Dogs will be
Hideo Nomo.
