In It To Win It

- How'd you do in your fantasy leagues this season?  Did you at least finish in the money?
- Did any of them come down to a final at-bat or pitch?
- Feel free to share any stories of victory or defeat in the comments.

Playoff Bound:

- Jonathan Sanchez held the Padres scoreless for 5 innings as the Giants went on to win the NL West.  Sanchez walked 5, struck out 5, and allowed 3 hits.  He finishes the regular season with a 13-9 record and 3.07 ERA.  The Giants will face the...
- Tim Hudson pitched 7 innings and allowed 4 earned runs to the Phillies to help the Braves win the NL Wildcard.  This game was really about what the Braves hitters were able to do once Danys Baez was on the hill (4 earned runs, only 2 outs).  Their series with the Giants will start on Thursday night in San Fran.
- Jay Bruce hit his 25th homer and collected his 70th RBI in Cincinnati's 3-2 win over Milwaukee.  The Reds will travel to Philly to start their series on Wednesday evening. 
- Wade Davis held the Royals to 2 runs over 7 innings to help the Rays win the AL East crown.  Davis struck out 6 and walked 2, before the bullpen came in and shut the door on KC.  The Rays will host...
- Dan Haren pitched 6 innings, allowed 2 earned runs, and struck out 3 Rangers batters.  The Angels got the win, but it's the Rangers who won the AL West and will be headed to Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon.  Josh Hamilton was 1-4 and played LF.
- John Lackey struck out 10 Yankees batters, walked 2, and held them to 2 runs over 7.2 innings to pick up his 14th win.  With their loss and the Rays win, the Yanks will make the playoffs as the Wildcard.  They'll be heading to...
- Nick Blackburn pitched 7 innings of 2-run ball to the Blue Jays, but Marc Rzepczynski was just a bit better as he allowed only 1 unearned run to the Twins.  Toronto won the the game, but it's Minnesota that will be hosting the Yankees, as they won the AL Central.  Game 1 is Wednesday night.

Heading Home:

- Austin Jackson stole his 27th base.  The rookie finishes the season with 103 R, 4 HR, 41 RBI, and a .293 batting average.
- Edwin Jackson collected a win after he held the Indians to 2 earned runs over 5.2 innings.  He struck out 6, walked 2, and finishes with a 10-12 record & 4.47 ERA.  Oh yeah and a no-hitter in which he threw 400 pitches, at least that's how I remember it.
- Dallas Braden pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 earned runs to the Mariners in a win, his 11th.  It seems like just yesterday he threw that perfect game on Mother's Day.
- Mike Pelfrey allowed 1 earned run over 7 innings to the Nationals in a no-decision.  He finishes the season with a 15-9 record and 3.66 ERA.
- Anibal Sanchez gave up 2 run (1 unearned) to the Pirates over 6 innings.  He struck out 7, walked 2, and won his 13th game to go with his 3.55 ERA. 
- Dan Uggla went 3-3 with a homer, 2 runs, and 3 RBI.  He finishes with 100 R, 33 HR, 105 RBI, and a .287 batting average... those aren't numbers you expect out of a second baseman.
- Carlos Lee was 2-3 with a homer in the Astros 4-0 win over the Cubs.  Lee finishes his disappointing season with 67 R, 24 HR, 89 RBI and a .246 batting average.  The Astros finished 10 games under .500 at 76-86... as a 'Stros fan, I'll take it.
- Albert Pujols went 0-2 with 1 walk, but finished the season as the HR (42) & RBI (118) leader in the NL.  His .312 batting average was 5th highest, tied with his teammate Matt Holiiday.  Carlos Gonzalez won the batting title with a .336 batting average. 
- Ted Lilly struck out 9, walked 2, and allowed 1 earned run to the D-Backs in a win.  Lilly ends the season with a 3.62 ERA and 10-12 record. 

Save Chances:

- Brian Wilson, converted (48).  Struck out 1 in a clean 9th.
- Rafael Soriano, converted (45).  Pitched a scoreless 12th with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
- Francisco Cordero, converted (40).  Threw a scoreless 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Billy Wagner, converted (37).  Pitched 1.1 innings with 1 earned run, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.
- Jose Valverde, converted (26).  Struck out 1 in the 9th.  It was his first save in almost a month.
- Hong-Chih Kuo, converted (12).  Walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th.
- Clay Hensley, converted (7).  Struck out 2 in a clean 9th.
- Chris Sale, converted (4).  Allowed 2 earned runs over 2 innings with 4 strikeouts.
- Miguel Batista, converted (2).  Walked 1 in a scoreless 14th.
- Joakim Soria, blown (3).  Struck out 2 and gave up 2 earned runs on 3 hits. 

Other Closer Outings:

- Jonathan Papelbon allowed 1 unearned run in 1 inning of work with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
- Hisanori Takahashi pitched a scorless 9th with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
- Brad Lidge walked 2 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 8th.
- Brandon Lyon pitched a clean 9th with 1 strikeout.

Non-Closer Outings:

- Joba Chamberlain allowed a solo shot and struck out 3 batters in the 7th.
- Ryan Perry pitched a clean 8th.
- Daniel Schlereth pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in relief of Phil Coke.  He registered 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.
- Mike Gonzalez pitched a scoreless 8th with 1 strikeout.
- Matt Thornton pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
- The Rays bullpen (Randy Choate, Dan Wheeler, Lance Cormier, Joaquin Benoit, Chad Qualls, & Jeff Niemann) combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings in relief of Wade Davis.  They struck out 8 and walked just 1. 
- Jose Mijares struck out 1 in a clean 8th.
- Kevin Jepsen pitched a scoreless 8th.
- Jordan Walden walked 2 in a scoreless 9th.
- Alexi Ogando struck out 1 in a clean 8th.
- Craig Breslow pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts.
- Brandon League pitched a clean 9th.
- Aroldis Chapman struck out 1 in a scoreless 7th.
- The Nationals bullpen (Sean Burnett, Doug Slaten, Drew Storen, & Joel Peralta) combined to pitch 6.1 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts and 2 walks. 
- Manny Acosta pitched 3 clean innings with 3 strikeouts.
- Leo Nunez struck out 1 in a clean 8th.
- Wilton Lopez struck out 3 in 1.1 clean innings.
- Kyle McClellan pitched a clean 9th with 1 strikeout.
- Santiago Casilla struck out 2 in 1.2 scoreless innings.
- Kenley Jansen pitched a clean 8th with 2 strikeouts. 

Tough Days:

- Dustin Moseley allowed 4 earned runs to the Red Sox in only 5 innings.  With home field advantage on the line, this is who you send to the hill?
- Justin Germano gave up 5 earned runs in only 2 innings to the White Sox. 
- Brent Lillibridge went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts for the Golden Sombrero.
- Brian Bogusevic also went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts for the Golden Sombrero. 
- Michael McKenry wanted in on the fail parade, as he too went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts for the Golden Sombrero.

Lineup-ology/Injuries:

- Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch in his elbow.  He's expected to be able to play game 1 against the Reds.
- Brad Ausmus announced his plans for retirement after Dodgers game.  I took great joy in watching him play for the Astros for many years.
- Brian Roberts has been experiencing concussion like symptoms.  He'll get a CAT scan on Monday.
- Aaron Harang left his start with a blister on one of his fingers.  He probably won't make the Red's post-season roster.
- Phil Coke will be converted into a starter going into next season.  He started Sunday's game for the Tigers.

Home Runs:

- Dan Uggla (33), Nick Swisher (29), Matt Kemp (28), Jayson Werth (27), Jay Bruce (25), Carlos Lee (24), Adam Lind (23), J.D. Drew (22), Edwin Encarnacion (21), Hideki Matsui (21), Derrek Lee (19), Buster Posey (18), Alexei Ramirez (18), Kevin Kouzmanoff (16), Brandon Inge (13), Kurt Suzuki (13), Jed Lowrie (8 & 9), Alex Gordon (8), Ronny Cedeno (8), Dexter Fowler (6), Peter Bourjos (6), Luke Carlin (2), Drew Sutton (2), & John Mayberry Jr. (2).

Stolen Bases:

- Juan Pierre (68), Ichiro Suzuki (42), Drew Stubbs (30), Austin Jackson (27), Bobby Abreu (24), Erick Aybar (22), Trevor Crowe (20), Carlos Gomez (18), Mike Aviles (14), Adam Kennedy (14), Jayson Werth (13), Jason Bourgeois (12), Jason Heyward (11), Ryan Kalish (9 & 10), Orlando Hudson (10), Bill Hall (9), Jarrod Dyson (9), Ben Francisco (8), Lorenzo Cain (7), Rick Ankiel (3), Mitch Maier (3), Luke Scott (2), Alejandro De Aza (2), Tony Abreu (2), Daniel Nava (1), Rocco Baldelli (1), & Cole Gillespie (1).

Caught Stealing:

- Rajai Davis (11), Shane Victorino (6), Corey Hart (6), Yuniesky Betancourt (3), & Ike Davis (2).