Free Wilson Bullpen Can’t Hold Lead; Lose to Mexicans Behind Plakas-Rubin 3-hitter.

It seemed fitting that a game played in commemoration of the absence of the 2002 Cy Young winner turned out two great pitching performances.

Christos Plakas carried a no hitter into the fourth, and Jose Lopez allowed one earned run in six, as Something With Mexicans defeated Free Wilson 15-9. Plakas held a one-hitter into the sixth inning and eventually combined with Mark Rubin on a four-hitter for the winning squad.

Brian Jackson broke up the no-no in grand fashion in the fourth, hitting a bases loaded bomb to deep left center in what some called “the longest home run ever in our league.” That shot, his first career homer in league play, gave Free Wilson a commanding 6-1 lead that the bullpen eventually squandered.

Plakas and Lopez, dueled each other for 6 innings before a tired Lopez gave way to Larry Siu to open the seventh. It was hard to tell who was more brilliant, Plakas or Lopez, as at the end of the sixth inning there was only two earned runs between them. In his seven innings, Plakas only allowed three hits as compared to an astounding 15 strikeouts and at one point struck out five straight batters. Lopez allowed four hits, while striking out nine.

Lopez retired with a 7-2 advantage that he could only watch unravel. Siu, who had been effective in his last outing, was tagged for seven runs (only one earned) on four hits and two walks in only an inning of work. After giving up the lead in the seventh, he left with two men on and no outs in the eighth to Mike Ruda.

Ruda could do little to stop the bleeding, allowing five earned in his two innings, as the SWM lead swelled to 15-7 entering the final frame. Free Wilson added two runs in the last inning against Rubin, who entered to begin the eighth. Rubin has been one of the more pleasant surprises thus far - after an atrocious 32.80 ERA last season, he’s come back and pitched well this year.

Even dancing and singing to “Macho Man”, or waving around Ruda’s “Free Wilson !” shirt failed to produce any hits against the stingy Mexicans staff. Aside from Jackson’s grand slam, Plakas and Rubin pitched mostly errorless ball. Jose Lopez - who last season had a gaudy .545 batting average and 13 home runs - went 0-4 with a strikeout, as 9 players in the mammoth 13-man batting order went hitless.

The only players who managed to really do damage were Mexicans Kevin Chau and Scott Schiffman. Both fell only a triple short of the cycle, driving in six runs between them.