San Diego and St. Louis kicked off the 2005 postseason yesterday afternoon with RHP Jake Peavy facing off against RHP Chris Carpenter. In the top of the first, Carpenter gave up a walk to LF-L Ryan Klesko but otherwise kept the Padres off the bases. One out into the bottom of the first, CF-L Jim Edmonds launched a ball over the left field fence and into the Padres' bullpen to give St. Louis an early 1-0 lead. Peavy halted the scoring there, allowing neither 1B-R Albert Pujols nor RF-L Larry Walker to reach base.

Leading off the top of the second, 1B-L Mark Sweeney hit a grounder to Pujols, who was playing a few feet behind first. Pujols fielded the ball and since no one was yet covering first, ran, and slid into the bag to beat Sweeney there for the force. Although Pujols clearly appeared to have reached the base prior to Sweeney, the umpire ruled Sweeney safe, eliciting ire from both Pujols and Cardinals' Manager Tony LaRussa. Up next, C-R Ramon Hernandez hit a line drive over the head of SS-R David Eckstein but within his reach. The ball bounced off Eckstein's glove and into left field, allowing Sweeney to advance to second and Hernandez to reach first safely on the error. However, San Diego was unable turn their good fortune into runs as SS-R Khalil Greene flew out to left-center on the first pitch of his at-bat and 3B-R Joe Randa hit into an inning ending double play.

Two outs into the bottom of the second, 3B-S Abraham Nunez knocked a grounder into left field for a single, but C-R Yadier Molina grounded out to close the inning before the runner could develop into a run. With one out down in the top of the third, CF-L Dave Roberts knocked a line drive into right field for a single. Klesko followed with a groundball single to right, moving Roberts to second. 2B-R Mark Loretta then terminated the rally by grounding into a double play to end the top of the inning.

Following a first pitch groundout by Carpenter, Eckstein dropped a flyball into center for a single. Edmonds then hit a high flyball midway down the left field line, where it dropped for a double that advanced Eckstein to third. With first base open, the Padres chose to intentionally walk Pujols. After the intentional walk, Peavy's first pitch to Walker bounced in front of the plate and away from Hernandez, allowing Eckstein to come home while Edmonds and Pujols shifted to third and second respectively. When the count hit 3-1, San Diego issued Walker an intentional ball, reloading the bases. Up next, LF-R Reggie Sanders hit a grounder just to the left of first base. Because Sweeney was playing off the line, he wasn't able to get over to field the ball and it dribbled into shallow right field where Loretta recovered it. Meanwhile both Edmonds and Pujols scored and Walker advanced to third on the single, putting St. Louis up 4-0. 2B-R Mark Grudzielanek grounded into a double play, putting the lid back on the Cardinals' can of worms.

Sweeney negotiated a walk one out into the top of the fourth, but the baserunner quickly disappeared when Hernandez grounded into a double play. Peavy went one-two-three through the bottom of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, Carpenter handed out a base on balls to Randa, but as in the inning before, the Padres were unable to muster any other baserunners.

With one out down in the bottom of the fifth, Edmonds hit a grounder back to the mound. Peavy tried to field the ball but it bounced away from him, giving Edmonds a single. Pujols followed, sending a line drive into left for a single that advanced Edmonds to second. Peavy then issued a five-pitch walk to Walker, loading the bases. Up next, Sanders catapulted a ball into the stands in left field for a grand slam that brought St. Louis's lead to 8-0. At that point, San Diego opted to remove Peavy while sending RHP Clay Hensley to the mound. When play resumed, Grudzielanek flew out to center. Hensley issued a four-pitch walk to Nunez, but Molina grounded out to bring the inning to a close.

Carpenter allowed the Padres no room to rally in the top of the sixth, shutting down their two, three, and four hitters in order. San Diego gave the ball to RHP Brian Lawrence for the bottom of the sixth and he likewise pitched a one-two-three inning.

Although Carpenter was only at 91 pitches, the Cardinals sent RHP Brad Thompson out to take his place for the top of the seventh. Leading off for the Padres, Sweeney sent a line drive down the right field line and into the corner for a double. Hernandez followed, hitting a flyball into the left field corner for a single that moved Sweeney to third. When Greene hit a flyball to Edmonds in center, Sweeney tagged up and came home to give San Diego their first run of the game. Hernandez remained at first while Randa also flew out for center. After the Padres announced left-handed hitter Sean Burroughs as the pinch-hitter for Lawrence, St. Louis replaced Thompson with LHP Randy Flores. San Diego then replaced Burroughs with right-handed hitter Xavier Nady. Flores struck out Nady to send the game into the bottom of the seventh.

RHP Akinori Otsuka took the mound for the Padres in the bottom of the seventh. Up first, Pujols hit a grounder up the middle. Greene came across to field the ball but bobbled the transfer from his glove to his hand, allowing Pujols to reach first on his error. Walker obligingly erased the consequences of the mistake by hitting into a double play. The inning ended with Sanders flying out to center.

Leading off the top of the eighth and pinch-hitting for Roberts, right-handed hitter Eric Young smacked a solo shot into the left field stands to narrow the Cardinals' lead to 8-2. Two outs later, RF-L Brian Giles bounced a pitch into centerfield for a single. San Diego announced right-handed hitter Ben Johnson as the pinch-hitter for Sweeney, but after St. Louis pulled Flores to put in RHP Cal Eldred, the Padres pinch-hit for Johnson with left-handed hitter Robert Fick. With Fick at the plate, Giles stole second. Fick subsequently walked, however Hernandez then ended the top of the inning with a groundout.

Otsuka passed the ball to RHP Scott Linebrink prior to the bottom of the eighth. With two outs down, Molina pushed a line drive into left for a single. LF-L John Mabry then hit a line drive up the middle for a single that moved Molina to second. The threat ended with Eckstein flying out to right.

Greene opened the top of the ninth by hitting a line drive into the left field corner for a double. While Greene was unable to take third when Randa flew out to right, right-handed hitter Damian Jackson, who was pinch-hitting for Linebrink, hit a groundball into left field for a single that moved Greene up a base. The Cardinals then pulled Eldred to put in closer RHP Jason Isringhausen. With Young at the plate, Jackson stole second. Young hit a bouncer to third and rather than try to stop Greene from coming home, Nunez went for the out at first. Up next, Klesko muscled a grounder into right field for a single that advanced Jackson to third. Loretta followed with a line drive hit into center for a single that drove in Jackson and moved Klesko to second, pulling the Padres to within four at 8-4. Giles then dropped a line drive into center for a single that pushed Klesko across the plate and Loretta to second. Fick continued the string of hits, loading the bases with a line drive single into right field. However, the runners remained stranded when Isringhausen pulled together a three-pitch strikeout for Hernandez, winning Game 1 of this Division Series for St. Louis by a score of 8-5.

The Red Sox and the White Sox kicked off Game 1 of their division series in Chicago yesterday. One out into the top of the first, SS-R Edgar Renteria dropped a flyball down the right field line for a double, however RHP Jose Contreras otherwise kept Boston off the bases in the inning. RHP Matt Clement began the bottom of the first by plunking LF-L Scott Podsednik in the leg with a pitch, giving him first base. 2B-R Tadahito Iguchi then laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Podsednik to second. RF-R Jermaine Dye trotted down to first after an inside pitch caught him just above the left knee. With 1B-R Paul Konerko at the plate, Podsednik stole third. Konerko subsequently hit a grounder to third base, where 3B-S Bill Mueller chose to throw to second to retire Dye while Podsednik went home and Konerko arrived safely at first. Up next, DH-S Carl Everett whacked a line drive into right field for a single, moving Konerko to second. CF-R Aaron Rowand followed with a line drive single to left-center, advancing Everett to third and driving in Konerko to put the White Sox up 2-0. C-L A.J. Pierzynski lofted a flyball over the fence in left-center, setting off the fireworks with a three-run shot bringing to the score to 5-0. After the homer, 3B-R Joe Crede popped out to send the game into the second.

RF-L Trot Nixon led off the top of the second with a groundball single into right-center, but Contreras shut down Boston's six, seven, and eight hitters to strand Nixon at first. One out into the bottom of the second, Podsednik dropped a flyball into center for a single. However, with Iguchi at the plate, the Red Sox caught Podsednik attempting to steal second. Iguchi then flew out to center to end the inning.

Leading off the third, 2B-R Tony Graffanino sent a line drive into the left field corner for a double. Two outs later, DH-L David Ortiz hit a grounder to short, where SS-R Juan Uribe failed to field the ball. Uribe did not receive an error, but Graffanino advanced to third and Ortiz was safe at first. Nevertheless, Boston failed to get on the board as LF-R Manny Ramirez grounded out to send the game into the bottom of the third.

With one down in the bottom of the third, Konerko added another run to Chicago's lead, swatting a pitch into the White Sox's bullpen in left field. Everett then added injury to insult, slapping a grounder back to the mound, where it knocked off the inside of Clement's right thigh before glancing off the top of his left knee. Despite the impact, Clement was able to scramble off the mound and recover the ball in time to throw to first to retire Everett. After Clement received a check-up, Rowand lined out to left to close the inning.

Opening the top of the fourth, Nixon lifted a line drive over the head of Iguchi and into right field for a single. Varitek pushed a bunt onto the infield grass between the mound and third base. When Crede tried to pick up the ball with his bare hand it slipped away and he kicked it back toward home and to the backstop. By the time he recovered the ball, Nixon was at third with Varitek at second on the error. With 1B-R Kevin Millar at the plate, Contreras let loose a pitch that bounced in the dirt behind and to the left hand side of the plate. Pierzynski failed to make the stop, allowing Nixon to come home on the wild pitch while Varitek moved to third. Millar subsequently hit a flyball into deep right for a double that drove in Varitek, closing Chicago's lead to 6-2. Mueller next hit a grounder to Iguchi, who chose to throw to third, where Crede tagged out Millar for the first out of the inning. Graffanino tapped a grounder to short, and Uribe threw to second to retire Millar. Contreras then retired CF-L Johnny Damon with a three-pitch strikeout.

Pierzynski led off the bottom of the fourth with line drive double down the right field line. One out later, the White Sox again set off the fireworks as Uribe blasted a pitch into the several rows into the left-center stands, re-establishing Chicago's six-run lead. The homer prompted the Red Sox to remove Clement. RHP Chad Bradford took his place and closed out the inning without allowing another baserunner.

Contreras did not allow Boston on base in the top of the fifth, and a combination of Bradford and RHP Jeremi Gonzalez similarly kept the White Sox's off the bases in the bottom of the inning. Chicago's starter also pitched a one-two-three inning in the top of the sixth. Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Rowand negotiated a seven-pitch walk from Gonzalez. Gonzalez then caught Pierzynski on the right elbow with an inside pitch. The runners remained at first and second while Crede popped out, but Uribe propelled a grounder into left field for a single that advanced Pierzynski to second and drove in Rowand to make the score 9-2. Up next, Podsednik pounded a line drive into the stands down the right field line, clearing the bases and increasing the White Sox's lead to a daunting 12-2. The scoring drive ended with Iguchi popping out and Dye grounding out to send the game into the seventh, where Contreras pitched a third consecutive runnerless inning. Gonzalez remained in the game for the bottom of the seventh and succeeded in retiring Chicago's four, five, and six hitters in order.

One out into the top of the eighth, Ortiz bashed the ball into left-center. Podsednik couldn't get over to make the catch, and when it escaped him, Ortiz took two. After Ortiz advanced to third on a Ramirez groundout, the White Sox lifted Contreras to put in LHP Neal Cotts to face Nixon. Nixon flew out to left, stranding Ortiz at third.

RHP Bronson Arroyo took the ball for the Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth, and Pierzynski led off with his second homer of the afternoon, sending this one into the stands down the right field line. Crede then worked Arroyo for six-pitch walk. Arroyo recovered to strike out Uribe, but Podsednik also drew a walk, giving Chicago runners at first and second. Pinch-hitting for Iguchi, left-handed hitter Willie Harris floated a line drive into right field for a single that moved Podsednik to second and drove in Crede to increase the White Sox's lead to 14-2. Pinch-hitting for Dye and Konerko respectively, left-handed hitter Timo Perez and switch-hitter Geoff Blum both made first pitch outs to send the game into the ninth.

RHP Cliff Politte went to the mound for Chicago for the top of the ninth. Pinch-hitting for Millar one out into the inning, left-handed hitter John Olerud smacked a flyball off the centerfield wall for a double. Rowand also smacked into the wall while attempting to make the catch, but he righted himself without any fuss. Olerud's contribution proved futile as Mueller popped out and Graffanino flew out to left to end the game, putting the White Sox up 1-0 in the division series between these teams.

The Yankees and Angels met for Game 1 of their Division Series in Anaheim. Two outs into the first inning, 1B-L Jason Giambi knocked a line drive into far right field for a single. RF-R Gary Sheffield followed with his own line drive single into right moving Giambi to second. Hitting a grounder into right for a single, LF-L Hideki Matsui loaded the bases for 2B-L Robinson Cano. Cano launched a flyball into deep leftfield, driving in all three runners with his double. Swinging at his first pitch, C-S Jorge Posada grounded out to bring the top of the first to a close.

After striking out 3B-S Chone Figgins, New York starter RHP Mike Mussina gave up a groundball single to SS-R Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera moved to second when LF-L Garret Anderson grounded out, but RF-R Vladimir Guerrero also grounded out, stranding Cabrera.

In the top of the second, RHP Bartolo Colon dealt strikeouts to both DH-S Bernie Williams and CF-L Bubby Crosby before SS-R Derek Jeter singled on a line drive hit to right. Colon then came too far inside on 3B-R Alex Rodriguez, striking him just below his left shoulder blade. With runners at first and second, Giambi shot a grounder down the right field line for a double that moved Rodriguez to third and drove in Jeter, increasing the Yankees' lead to 4-0. Colon held back further damage by striking out Sheffield to end the top of the inning.

With two down in the bottom of the second, DH-R Juan Rivera whacked a line drive into right field for a single. CF-L Steve Finley then sent a flyball to the warning track in right field, where it bounced over the fence and into the stands for an automatic double, pushing Rivera to third. However, 2B-L Adam Kennedy flew out to left, leaving the runners stranded.

Neither Colon nor Mussina allowed the opposition to reach base in the third. Two outs into the top of the fourth, Jeter drew a walk. With Rodriguez at the plate, Jeter stole second, but Rodriguez struck out to end the inning. Mussina retired the Angels' fourth, fifth, and sixth hitters in order in the bottom of the fourth.

Leading off the top of the fifth, Giambi sent a flyball soaring to straightaway centerfield, but Finley made the catch at the warning track in the deepest part of the outfield. Sheffield followed, snapping a line drive into left field for a single. However, Matsui grounded into a double play to cut the inning short.

While Rivera led off the bottom of the fifth with a groundball single to left, Mussina shut down Anaheim's next three hitters, preventing him from advancing even a single base. Running in from a position deep in the middle of left field, Matsui made an impressive sliding catch to grab the flyball Figgins hit down the left field line in foul territory for the final out of the inning.

Colon cruised through the top of the sixth, needing only six pitches to retire the side. Two outs into the bottom of the sixth, Mussina gave up a single to Guerrero on a grounder hit into right field. New York then pulled Mussina, who's pitch count was already at 98. The game resumed with LHP Al Leiter on the mound and 1B-L Darin Erstad at the plate. During Erstad's at-bat, the Yankees caught Guerrero attempting to steal second, which ended the inning.

Jeter hit a grounder down the right field line for a single one out into the top of the seventh only to have Rodriguez ground into an inning ending double play. After striking out Erstad in the bottom of the seventh, Leiter handed the ball to RHP Tanyon Sturtze. With Sturtze on the mound, C-R Bengie Molina sent a pitch shooting out over the centerfield fence and into the batters' eye for a solo home run. Sturtze also pitched to Rivera, who grounded out, but then New York put in RHP Tom Gordon. Gordon retired Finley, sending the game into the eighth.

RHP Scot Shields took the mound for the Angels for the top of the eighth and kept the heart of the Yankees' order from reaching base. Gordon likewise went one-two-three through the bottom of the eighth.

Two outs into the top of the ninth, Williams hit a long line drive into deep right field for a double. However, Crosby sent the first pitch of his at-bat to Anderson in left field, so Anaheim went into the bottom of the ninth facing a three run deficit.

New York naturally turned to closer RHP Mariano Rivera to pitch the ninth. Anderson led off the inning, flying out to deep centerfield. Guerrero then work Rivera for a six-pitch walk. With Erstad at the plate, Guerrero stole second base. Erstad subsequently sent a bouncer up the middle for a single that drove in Guerrero to narrow the Yankees' lead to 4-2. Molina hit a grounder to short, where Jeter threw to second to retire Erstad. Pinch-hitting for Juan Rivera, left-handed hitter Casey Kotchman popped out, providing a victory for New York.