Mangan umpired the game. He could not play due to a tonsillectomy. Interestingly and not that surprising to note, this was the lowest scoring ESC, although that may also be attributed to the bigger field.
Roger’s Revenge
Riding the arms of Jose Lopez and Christos Plakas, the Townsville Mojojojoes get their first End of Summer Classic win against the Ghetto All-Stars
In a season plagued by poor weather, sunny skies and a dry field provided the perfect setting for the final game of the season--The End of Summer Classic IV. In this fourth installment of the epic rivalry between The Ghetto All-Stars’ manager Wilson Ramirez and Townsville Mojojojoes’ manager Roger Cormier, Cormier led an underdog team; headlined by perennial league stars Christos Plakas, Mark Rubin, Kevin Chau, and Jose Lopez; against the dominating triad of Ramirez, Scott Schiffman, and newcomer CJ.
Since having his face pushed into Wilson's ass over a year ago, it seemed that Roger was doomed to lose every final game of the season to Wilson. One year ago, Roger saw his ESC record drop to 0-3 after a colossal meltdown in the bottom of the ninth inning allowed the Ghetto All-Stars to overcome a six run deficit. On the eve of the ESC IV, Roger took responsibility for the performance of his past teams and declared, "If Townsville loses Saturday, I'm stepping down as captain/owner/manager. I'm sick of this losing crap." Thanks to these moving words and inspired play from his entire team, Roger can remain captain of the Mojojojoes for at least for one more year.
The game began as a pitcher's duel between Lopez and Ramirez with the game deadlocked at zero going into the third. Then, in perhaps the biggest surprise of the day, Roger led off the bottom half of the inning by launching a moon shot down the left field line that eventually found its way over the outfield fence. As most of the players on both teams looked on in disbelief, Roger happily circled the bases laughing like a little girl, in what would be a scaled down prelude to his post-game celebration, before being mobbed by his teammates who were awaiting him at home plate. The Mojojojoes went on to score another run that inning on an error by GAS third baseman Mike Ruda. The damage would have been worse if not for a spectacular sliding catch by centerfielder CJ on a shallow hit ball to right center.
Team GAS responded by loading the bases and cutting the lead in half on a single by GAS leadoff hitter Larry Siu, but Lopez was able to strike out Sam Stavis with the bases loaded to preserve the lead. It was the second of three strikeouts Lopez would record with the bases loaded to end an inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Mojojojoes added to their lead and never looked back. Joe Lee led off the inning with a first pitch home run, and first baseman Mark Rubin followed suit three batters later. In the ensuing at-bat, MVP Kevin Chau doubled to left center, then, taking advantage of his speed and two fielding errors, was able to make it all the way home giving the Mojojojoes a 5-1 lead. The Mojojojoes put the game out of reach, by normal standards, two innings later, chasing Ramirez from the game with four singles and three runs to start the bottom half of the sixth inning. Ramirez brought in right-handed flamethrower CJ to stop the bleeding, but the score was already 9-1, and the Mojojojoes began the countdown to the end of the game.
MVP runner-up Scott Schiffman led off the 7th with a single, and after two strikeouts, Lopez drilled Benny Nadado in the back. Coincidentally, Nadado had been hitting Lopez hard all game. When a player suggested that he charge the mound, Nadado just laughed it off. Jason Cohen walked to load the bases. Jose Cornier also worked a walk scoring Schiffman and making it a 9-2 ballgame. With the lineup turning over and the Mojojojoes growing more nervous with each pitch, Lopez got Siu to swing through what would have been ball four, striking out the side.
Team GAS threatened again in the eighth inning. Lopez began the inning by walking Sam and CJ but managed to get Scott to ground into a fielder's choice, leaving runners on first and third. Ruda then grounded to Jason Flynn at second base who knocked the ball down but made an extraordinarily errant underhand throw to first that nearly went over the right field fence allowing Sam to score and leaving runners on first and second. A nervous Cormier came out from behind the plate and called on Pedro Martinez Award winner Christos Plakas to close out the game. Cormier made the same move in last year's ESC and only to watch Plakas walk six batters and have two errors made behind him. As Cormier handed the ball to Plakas, he reminded him, "It's your revenge too."
As the taunting and homosexual comments coming from the GAS bench picked up, Wilson dropped in a single scoring Scott, and Benny hit a ground ball right through the usually sure-handed Max Stavis' legs loading the bases. With the tying run on deck, it looked as if there might be a repeat of last year's choke job. But Plakas bore down and struck out Jason Cohen and Jose Cornier, ending the inning and the threat.
The top of the ninth started auspiciously for the Mojojojoes as Siu led off by hitting a pitch hard to shallow left center which was caught by centerfielder Chau. The next batter, Sam Stavis, was called out looking on a greatly debated pitch down and away. The strike zone of the umpire, Brian Mangan, who was forced into the role after undergoing an emergency tonsillectomy only days before the ESC, had been in question by members from both teams throughout the game. When asked about his performance after the game, Mangan defended himself saying, “I called a good zone. I am the reason the End of Summer Classic was fun. Me. I am larger than the game!!!”
With only one out remaining and down to his final strike, CJ smashed a hard single to left center, setting the stage for a much-anticipated matchup between Schiffman and Plakas. On the first pitch, Schiffman grounded back to Plakas, who, according to one source familiar with the play, "fielded the ball like the cocky jackass he is." The game ended in a scene reminiscent of the conclusion of the Don Larsen perfect game in the 1956 World Series as Cormier jumped into Plakas's arms and managed to hold on despite Plakas’ not wanting to hug him in return. Late to join in the festivities was Mojojojoes’ first baseman Mark Rubin who remarked, “Oh [crap], the game is over? I thought that was the eighth inning.”
The ceremonial/inaugural "Gatorade Bath" had to wait until the trip to Taco Bell, but to Cormier, it was no less refreshing.
