AMERICAN LEAGUE WILDCARD GAME
Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels 
|
|
Hisashi Iwakuma vs. Jered Weaver, Angel Stadium
HALOS OUTLAST M’S IN 12, ADVANCE TO ALDS
Cron’s Clutch Hit Is Game-Winner
ANAHEIM, Cal., Oct. 1 (AP) – C.J. Cron’s two out single drove home pinch-runner Colin Cowgill with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Los Angeles Angels slipped past the Seattle Mariners, winning the AL Wildcard game 3-2 at Angel Stadium. The Angels advance to the American League Divisional Series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics meet in the other ALDS.
Cron’s hit snapped a tie that had remained in place since the sixth inning. Cowgill, who was sent in to run after Josh Hamilton led off the inning with a double, was the only baserunner on either club to advance past second base after the sixth.
Until the Angels won it, the only scoring in the game took place when each team plated single runs in the second and sixth innings. The Mariners made it 1-0 in the top of the second when Kyle Seager hit a one-out bases empty home run off Los Angeles starter Jered Weaver. The Angels countered in their half of the inning, when Hamilton led off with the first of his two doubles in the game, advanced to third on Howie Kendrick’s grounder to second, and scored on Erik Aybar’s sacrifice fly to left.
Neither team threatened to score again until Seattle snapped the tie in the top of the sixth. Dustin Ackley doubled with one out and scored on Robinson Cano’s base hit to give the Mariners a 2-1 advantage.
But the Angels wasted no time tying the game back up. Hank Conger led off the bottom of the frame with a single to left. Kole Calhoun’s fielder’s choice grounder forced Conger at second for the first out, but Mike Trout’s infield hit put runners on first and second. Albert Pujols then grounded a sharp single to left, scoring Calhoun, but the throw to the plate was cut off and Trout was tagged out attempting to advance to third. Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma struck out Hamilton to avoid further trouble.
Both starters began the seventh inning on the mound and both were lifted after allowing a leadoff single. The bullpens took over at this point, and both units were brilliant. Hector Santiago replaced Weaver after Seager’s leadoff base hit in the top of the seventh, and yielded a single to Logan Morrison, putting runners on first and second. But he fanned Michael Saunders, and then Kevin Jepsen came on, struck out Mike Zunino and retired Brad Miller on a ground ball, to end the inning. Santiago’s strikeout of Saunders began a stretch of 12 consecutive batters retired by Los Angeles relievers.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kendrick greeted Iwakuma with a base hit. Iwakuma was replaced by Charlie Furbush, who set down Aybar on a ground ball, with Kendrick advancing to second. Dominic Leone replaced Furbush and fanned Cron and David Freese to end the inning. The Kendrick groundout was the first of 16 consecutive Angels hitters to be retired by Seattle pitching.
In the top of the 11th, with Joe Smith on in relief for the Angels, Austin Jackson led off with a single, becoming the first baserunner for either team since the seventh inning. Smith struck out Ackley, and then, with Cano at the plate, Jackson attempted to steal second, but was thrown out by Conger. Cano flied to center to end the inning.
In the top of the 12th, with Smith still on the mound, he hit Morrison with a pitch with two outs, but coolly retired Saunders on a grounder to short to end the inning.
Brandon Maurer was on the mound for his second inning of relief in the bottom of the 12th, and retired Pujols on a ground ball to first, but then yielded Hamilton’s double to right-center, the first hit—the first baserunner--for the Angels since Kendrick’s leadoff single in the seventh. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia, recognizing how limited scoring opportunities had been throughout the long contest, sent Cowgill in to run for Hamilton. Cowgill couldn’t advance when Kendrick bounced to third for the second out. With first base open, Maurer pitched around the switch-hitter Aybar, bringing the right-handed Cron, who was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, to the plate. On the very first pitch, Cron lined a single to left-center. Cowgill scampered around third and scored easily, sending the sellout partisan crowd into a frenzy.
Following an off-day for travel, the Angels will take on the Orioles, at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
10/1/2014, Sea14-LAA14, Angel Stadium
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E LOB DP
2014 Mariners 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 5 1
2014 Angels 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 0 5 1
Mariners AB R H BI AVG Angels AB R H BI AVG
Jackson,A cf 5 0 1 0 .200 Calhoun rf 5 1 0 0 .000
Ackley lf 5 1 1 0 .200 Trout cf 5 0 1 0 .200
Cano 2b 5 0 1 1 .200 Pujols 1b 5 0 1 1 .200
Morales,K dh 5 0 0 0 .000 Hamilton,J lf 5 1 2 0 .400
Seager 3b 4 1 2 1 .500 Cowgill pr 0 1 0 0 .000
Morrison 1b 4 0 1 0 .250 Kendrick,H 2b 5 0 1 0 .200
Saunders,M rf 5 0 1 0 .200 Aybar ss 3 0 1 1 .333
Zunino c 4 0 0 0 .000 Cron dh 5 0 1 1 .200
Miller,B ss 4 0 0 0 .000 Freese 3b 4 0 0 0 .000
41 2 7 2 Conger c 4 0 2 0 .500
41 3 9 3
Mariners INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Iwakuma 6.0 7 2 2 0 2 75 55 3.00
Furbush 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 0.00
Leone 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 10 7 0.00
Beimel 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 6 4 0.00
Farquhar 2.1 0 0 0 0 2 26 15 0.00
Maurer L 0-1 1.2 2 1 1 1 1 27 17 5.40
11.2 9 3 3 1 7 152 103
Angels INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA
Weaver 6.0 5 2 2 1 5 84 53 3.00
Santiago,H 0.1 1 0 0 0 1 6 5 0.00
Jepsen 1.2 0 0 0 0 2 15 12 0.00
Salas 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 0.00
Street 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 16 9 0.00
Smith,J W 1-0 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 26 18 0.00
12.0 7 2 2 1 11 155 102
LAA: Cowgill ran for Hamilton,J in the 12th
2B-Ackley(1), Hamilton,J 2(2). HR-Seager(1). RBI-Cano(1), Seager(1),
Pujols(1), Aybar(1), Cron(1). CS-Jackson,A. K-Jackson,A, Ackley, Cano,
Morales,K 2, Morrison, Saunders,M 2, Zunino 2, Miller,B, Calhoun,
Hamilton,J 2, Cron 2, Freese, Conger. BB-Seager, Aybar. SF-Aybar.
HBP-Morrison. HB-Smith,J.
GWRBI: Cron
Temperature: 77, Sky: clear, Wind: out to center at 2 MPH.
Attendance: 45,128
Game Time: 3:38