Outlaws celebrate Division Title with romp over Boulevards
As the Outlaws returned home from Western Kansas with a magic number of one, the team gets a call from the Boulevards from office to let them know that Kansas City won their series against Granite State three games to one, but that one loss was the one game that gave the Outlaws the 2018 Griffin Division title.
A short celebration took place at the airport, but the real celebration came when those same Boulevards landed to play their series.
Game 1: Velasquez v. Sale – For the second straight start, Chris Sale got ambushed. Kansas City got a Marcell Ozuna homer in the second, but the Boulevards strung together five straight singles in the third to plate four more runs and gave KC a 5-0 lead.
Joe Panik gets one run back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single, but Sale continued to struggle with a pair of RBI doubles to give Flagstaff a 7-1 lead.
But the Outlaws don’t take this lying down. Paul Goldschmidt homers in the fourth and George Springer and Elvis Andrus each have RBI knocks in the fifth to get the Outlaws within three.
The Flagstaff bullpen continues to put up zeroes, bidding their time. That time came in the eighth. With two on and two out, Kansas City went to Felipe Rivero to face Travis Shaw. Flagstaff called Shaw back and let Enrique Hernandez hit. Hernandez comes through with a three-run bomb that ties the game, sending the home crowd into hysterics.
From their, more zeroes until the bottom of the 14th. Braden Shipley had to start the inning and Aaron Judge singled to start things off. J.P. Crawford popped out to first, but Khris Davis lined a ball into the left-center gap and Judge is able to beat the throw by inches to give the Outlaws a 8-7 victory.
W: McGee (5-2)
L: Shipley (0-1)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – Ozuna (26); FLG – Goldschmidt (28), Hernandez (6).
Game 2: Corbin v. Greinke – Flagstaff sends ten batters to the plate in the second inning, scoring five times with Springer’s three-run bomb being the big hit.
The Boulevards claw back, scoring once in the third and twice in the fifth, but Flagstaff put together another long inning, scoring four times in the sixth, maing the score 9-3.
But in the seventh, Pedro Baez gives up three solo homers to Martin Maldonado, Christian Yelich and Ozuna to close back with three runs.
But Paul Goldschmidt cranks a two-run homer in the eighth to put the game out of reach and Flagstaff wins, 11-6.
W: Greinke (20-6)
L: Corbin (7-11)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – Maldonado (), Yelich (17), Ozuna (27); FLG – Springer (37), Hernandez (7), Goldschmidt (29).
Game 3: Chacin v. Wood – Alex Wood was perfect through four, allowed a walk in the fifth to lose the perfect game, but it’s a two-out double in the sixth that ends any thought of an extra-special ending.
By that point, Flagstaff was already up 4-0 on a two-run homer from Travis Shaw in the fourth and a two-run double from Daniel Nava in the sixth.
From that point, the Outlaw bullpen takes over and allows just two more hits, but no runs and Flagstaff shuts out Kansas City, 4-0.
W: Wood (15-4)
L: Chacin (12-5)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – none; FLG – Shaw (18).
Game 4: Godley v. Wacha – Paul Goldschmidt hits his third homer of the series in the bottom of the first, his 30th of the season.
The two teams trade runs in the fourth when Ozuna hits an RBI single, but Aaron Judge adds a solo homer.
But that would be the only blemish on Michael Wacha ledger. He keeps his pitch count lower enough that he is able to get through eight inning, scattering seven hits and striking out seven.
In the bottom of the eighth, Judge adds a clutch two-run single to pad the Outlaw lead. From their Blake Parker steps in and strikes out the side, despite allowing a lonely single.
Flagstaff 4, Kansas City 1.
W: Wacha (11-4)
L: Godley (13-9)
Sv: Parker (53)
HRs: KCB – none; FLG – Goldschmidt (30), Judge (44).