Plakas and Mangan Combine on 5-Hitter; Spoil Ramirez’ Return to the Mound
The finale of the 2003 regular season called to mind memories of what we saw many times in the 2002 season – a Wilson Ramirez and Chris Plakas duel into the seventh inning. Unlike last year, however, both starters handed the game over to competent relievers, as I Touch Myself defeated The Ringers 12-8 in the season finale.
CJ, a Division I ballplayer with one league appearance last season, homered in his first at-bat off Chris and pitched two utterly dominant innings in relief of Wilson, striking out 5 of 6 batters and not allowing a base-runner. His performance, though good, was all for naught as he entered the game already at a 12-8 deficit that Brian Mangan wouldn’t relinquish in his 2.1 innings.
As is his usual pattern, Ramirez cruised for most of the game, allowing only 5 hits before hitting the wall in the sixth inning. His stuff, which was almost un-hittable through the first six, was tagged by almost every hitter in the lineup as I Touch Myself batted around and then some.
Two base-running errors cost I Touch Myself the opportunity to score even more runs off Ramirez in the sixth. Sam Stavis led off the inning with a long drive to left that, assuming from his trot, he thought was a home run. As the ball bounced off the top section of the wall he picked up his pace, but was thrown out at second. Wilson allowed 5 consecutive hits after that, including a bases-loaded double to Christos, before Shinjo and Benny reached on consecutive errors. Three more singles followed, the final out made as MVP Candidate Scott Schiffman unwisely tried to stretch a single into a double. The only out recorded by Ramirez that inning was a strikeout of Stefan Fenty.
He left down 12-4, and the tandem of Plakas and Mangan, along with steady defense made sure that lead held. Only two errors were committed by I Touch Myself, and only one of them allowed a man to each base. Mangan bailed out Mark Rubin of an error in the eighth, scooping a dropped infield pop up and throwing to Schiffman for a force out at second.
Plakas, who pitched a gem of a game as well, allowed only 5 hits in 6.2, but left with the bases loaded in the next half-inning. He was also cruising until what was an apparent departure of his control in the seventh – he walked four before giving way before an emotional departure from the mound. The Ringers plated 3 more runs before his exit, and Mangan walked one more in before striking out Joe Lee to end the threat.
Mangan didn’t allow a runner past second in relief, as he sealed the win and notch the only save of the season.
Notes
Roger Cormier recorded a golden sombrero, going 0/4 with 4 strikeouts and a walk.
Naijia Huang continued his hot hitting, going ½ with 3 walks
The tandem of Sam Stavis (3/5) and Scott Schiffman (3/4) out-hit the entire Ringers squad, 6-5
