A great effort by Jerry Solomon in going the distance. But it still didn't feel too good beating many of my former teammates. I really wish this was a best 2 of 3. The Pirates earned that by finishing in 4th place.
This one, the Giants earned. Five hits, including a two-run double by Marty Bailey, capped a 4-run third, and that was all Solomon would need.
Jerry scattered 8 hits and walked just one. And the Pirates showed why they are a tough team to beat. Solomon usually has 6-7 strikouts a game, but had none till he fanned the final two batters in the 7th inning to cap his gutsy effort.
The Giants had 12 hits, including two each by Rodney Smith, Billy Smith, Jimmy Walter, Marty Bailey and Mike Aiello. Pat Alston and Carlos Llera had the other two hits. Llera was in the middle of the third-inning rally with an RBI single before scoring on Bailey's double.
The Giants now face the Orioles beginning today (Sunday) at 12:30 at Scotia.
Bob Yakatan and Johnson each had two hits for the Pirates.
* I don't have the scorebook with me. Actually, um, it may have been accidentally shredded and now lines the bottom of my hamster cage. Go figure.
* Solomon is just one of those guys in our league who plays hard, and plays well, all the time. I have a huge amount of respect for him, the way he treats people, the way he goes about the game, and he earned that win yesterday. Star of the game, he gets the free Toyota Camry. As Dave Moreau commented, "he just doesn't give you that fat pitch."
* Five of the Giants runs were scored with two outs, which means: That's a lot of clutch hitting. Bailey had a big blow, but several guys came through in key situations. Twice the Giants had a man on third with one out. We pulled the infield in, held them, got the second out, only to see it followed by a clean single.
* They beat us. We played well in the field. But, yeah, it sucks.
* I agree with JK's comments about the playoff format. Before the game, we both knew that a 4th or 5th place team's season would end after one game, while the 7th and 8th seeds get a bye plus an automatic best-of-three semifinal berth. I think the playoffs should be a meritocracy.
* But I don't want to detract in any way from a quality win by a great Giants team. So many good guys on that team, Kravitz and Smith, etcetera. Good luck the rest of the way.
