He's ready. Here comes Wuertz with a 3-1. INSIDE! BALL FOUR! And the game is tied!
-Jim Powell
***
All right, here we go with Ryan Braun. The pitch to him...SWING AND A DRIVE! LEFT CENTER AND DEEP! GET UP! GET UP! GET OUTTA HERE, GONE, FOR RYAN BRAUN! AND THEY'VE GOT THE LEAD! WOAH, WHAT A SHOT BY BRAUN, IT'S HIS 37TH OF THE YEAR!
-Bob Uecker
***
Everybody in this place is standing. 45,299. Sabathia sets, here it is.... SWING and a bouncer! Double play ball! J.J. - second, RELAY! DOUBLE PLAY! HEY! THEY WIN! WOAH, WHAT A FINISH! C.C. SABATHIA BEING MOBBED BY HIS TEAMMATES! HE THROWS A 4-6-3 CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS DOUBLE PLAY BALL TO BIG DERRICK LEE, AND THE BREWERS HAVE BEATEN CHICAGO! WOW, WHAT A GAME! WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY SABATHIA!
-Bob Uecker
***
Let me first say that I couldn't be happier right now. Today was the best day I've ever had as a baseball fan, and the most fun.
-Mets/Brewers: Since I moved to Chicago, the Crew have an awful record in televised games that I have access to. I believe I have only watched 2, maybe 3 victories on TV since I moved. So today after supporting the PAWS walk at Montrose Park, my partner and myself sat and watched the Shea game with Uecker on MLB Radio -- it worked out because she also believe that she is bad luck when the Crew are on TV, so we made every effort not to jinx the game.
It was so much fun watching the games because not only did the season come down to the last day, but it came down to the last day and 7+ innings!
-How excellent were the bases loaded walk by Counsell and the advance to third by Durham? Two exceptional situational plays by two of our veterans. Excellent presence in the line up, and although Durham's play won't show up in the box score, I believe it was a crucial baserunning effort.
-STAT OF THE SEASON: In 2007, the Brewers' starters pitched 76 quality starts, and the team won 83 games. In 2008, the Brewers' starters pitched 83 quality starts, and the team won 90 games.
A very tangible statement of improvement in 2008: the Brewers starting pitchers were the backbone for this team in 2008 with a declining bullpen and a very solid, but streaky, offense.
Dave Bush and Ben Sheets both improved their quality starts totals to 16 and 18 (respectively), giving the Crew 5 extra quality starts, and C.C. and Suppan both pitched 14 quality starts for the Brewers. Parra pitched 10, McClung 5, and CV and YoGa pitched 3 each.
-C.C. Sabathia should win the NL MVP. While I believe that the Cy Young should go to a pitcher that pitched the entire season in the NL because of the counting stats produced (IP, K, etc., and those voters' stats like W-L) and the overall value generated from an entire season with one team, Sabathia's performance is best captured and rewarded by the MVP award.
Since coming to Milwaukee, Sabathia has prevented more runs in the NL than most other pitchers in the MLB during their entire season campaigns. That's right! C.C. is a runs-preventing maniac in 2008, standing behind only the best of the best Cy Young candidates in both the NL and AL.
The fact that CC has pitched more complete games with Milwaukee than a good number of MLB teams have produced on the whole, and the fact that CC's level of production and the value of that prodiction against league average was so high solidify CC's place as a solid MVP candidate. Of course, it doesn't hurt that his team finished in the playoffs.
-How about the home runs this week? The offense is suddenly charged: Prince, Ryan, Rickie, and Ryan once again provided four crucial home runs, without which I am not certain the Crew make it to the playoffs.
-Fun with the rotation: C.C. wants the ball on 3-days' rest once again, and said so himself on ESPN after today's game. "No doubt," he said. With that, my guess is Bush goes in Game One, Sabathia in Game Two, and then some grouping of Suppan or Parra work in Games 3 and 4, unless Bush can go on short rest in Milwaukee for Game Four...