2005 League Championships

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="375fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Online Baseball Simulation League</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Online Baseball Simulation League"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B><U>2005 Playoffs Stats</U></B></div> <div> Division Series</div> <div> Boston - <A HREF="id267.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id275.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Cincinnati - <A HREF="id268.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cincinnati Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id276.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cincinnati Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Cleveland - <A HREF="id269.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id277.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Detroit - <A HREF="id270.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Detroit Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id278.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Detroit Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Houston - <A HREF="id271.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Houston Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id279.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Houston Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> San Diego - <A HREF="id272.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id280.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Texas - <A HREF="id273.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Texas Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id281.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Texas Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Washington - <A HREF="id274.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington Batting Stats"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id282.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington Pitching Stats"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <bR> <div> League Championships</div> <div> Boston - <A HREF="id294.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston ALCS Batting"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id298.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston ALCS Pitching"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Cleveland - <A HREF="id295.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland ALCS Batting"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id299.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland ALCS Pitching"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> San Diego - <A HREF="id296.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego NLCS Batting"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id300.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego NLCS Pitching"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <div> Washington - <A HREF="id297.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington NLCS Batting"><U>Batting</U></A>, <A HREF="id301.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington NLCS Pitching"><U>Pitching</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>2005 League Championships</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Tuesday, October 11  </B><A HREF="id284.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston 0, Cleveland 4"><U><B><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> ALCS, Game 1 -- Boston 0, Cleveland 4</div> <div> The opening game of the ALCS turned out to be all Cleveland's, as Scott Schoeneweis, LaTroy Hawkins and Eric Gagne combined to shut out Boston on 6 hits and 4 walks.  Schoeneweis struck out 4 and Hawkins and Gagne 1 each to hold the Red Sox scoreless.  For Boston, Victor Martinez had 2 of Boston's hits and Jose Vidro, Mike Piazza, Juan Uribe, and Raul Ibanez had the others.  Piazza also walked twice and was hit by a pitch.  For Cleveland, Angel Berroa singled in Rondell White in the 2nd, Aaron Boone hit a 2-run double in the 4th, and Berroa singled in Kenny Lofton in the 5th to complete the Indians' scoring.  For Boston, the loss was the result of many missed scoring chances.  Carl Everett popped out harmlessly to 1st with 2 on and 2 outs in the 1st inning.  In the 2nd, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 1 out, Raul Ibanez and Jose Vidro flied out to shallow center to end their threat.  In the 4th, Morgan Ensberg grounded out to short with bases loaded and 2 outs.  In the 8th, Earl Snyder came on as a pinch-hitter for Uribe and he struck out with runners on 1st and 2nd.  Game 2 is Wednesday, October 12 at Jacobs Field.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Wednesday, October 12</B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 2 -- Boston 1, Cleveland 11  <A HREF="id285.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston 1, Cleveland 11"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Game 2 got away from Boston pretty easily tonight as Cleveland ripped Tim Hudson for 6 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 1-1/3 innings.  Hudson walked in Cleveland's first run in the 1st inning by giving Rondell White a free pass with bases loaded.  In the 2nd, the Indians blew the game wide open.  With bases loaded again, Aaron Boone hit a 2-run single, the Todd Helton walked to load the bases again.  Kenny Lofton then hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-0.  Then, White, Jose Hernandez, and Edwards Guzman hit consecutive singles to jack the lead up to 7-0.  In the 4th, Guzman singled in Lofton and White to make the score, 9-0.  In the 5th, Boston finally got a scoring threat going, putting runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs.  But, Morgan Ensberg couldn't get enough wood on the 1-2 curveball and it was caught at the warning track by Vernon Wells.  In the 6th, Boston finally got a run when Victor Martinez hit a sacrifice fly to score Aubrey Huff and make the score 9-1.   But Cleveland got that run back immediately with a solo homerun by Jose Hernandez.  Cleveland completed its scoring in the 8th when Lofton scored on a balk by Roy Corcoran.  In the 9th, Dustan Mohr tried to rally the Red Sox with a 2-out double, but Raul Ibanez was robbed of a hit by a diving Vernon Wells who saved the game and rid Boston of any more scoring chances.  Game 3 will be Friday, October 14, at Fenway Park with Cleveland leading 2-0.   </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> NLCS, Game 1 -- San Diego 9, Washington 1  <A HREF="id286.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego 9, Washington 1"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> San Diego took the early lead in this game and never looked back.  Eric Chavez hit a solo homerun in the 1st inning, and Randy Wolf doubled their lead with a run-scoring single in the 2nd.  The Nationals got on the board in the 5th when Johnny Estrada scored on a fielder's choice to short.  But, that was all Washington would get, as Randy Wolf pitched 8 great innings, giving up that 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2.  His 2nd inning RBI would prove to be all the Padres needed.  However, Omar Infante hit a solo shot in the 6th, and in the 7th, Magglio Ordonez hit a 2-run single and Craig Wilson hit a 2-run homer to put San Diego up 7-1.  Wilson hit another 2-run homer in the 9th to make the score 9-1 and cement the win.  Roy Halladay got the loss, giving up 7 earned runs on 11 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 in 6-2/3 innings.  Game 2 is Thursday, October 13, at RFK Stadium.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Thursday, October 13  </B></div> <div> NLCS, Game 2 -- San Diego 3, Washington 1  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id287.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego 3, Washington 1"><U><B><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> San Diego put Washington into a 2-0 hole tonight with another win at RFK Stadium.  Jon Garland gave up 1 run on only 2 hits and a walk and he also struck out in 6-2/3 innings before leaving the game in the 7th with a strained muscle in his back.  As a result, Garland will miss the rest of the playoffs.  But he left with a win and he gave the Padres a big advantage going back to San Diego for Game 3.  Washington scored first when Carlos Lee walked in the 2nd inning and later stole 2nd and made it to 3rd after a throwing error by Jason Kendall and then came home on a sacrifice fly by Johnny Estrada.  In the 3rd, Washington had another chance to score when J.D. Drew singled and stole second with 2 outs.  But, Melvin Mora struck out to end the threat.  San Diego scored all their runs in the 6th.  Jason Kendall singled in Craig Wilson, and Juan Pierre singled in Kendall and Omar Infante to give the Padres a permanent lead.  Washington had 2 more chances to even the score, though, and they couldn't capitalize either time.  Melvin Mora struck out again with bases loaded in the 8th, and Brad Lidge struck out the side with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs to save the game for San Diego.  Game 3 is Saturday, October 15, at PETCO Park.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Friday, October 14  </B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 3 -- Cleveland 0, Boston 1  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id288.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland 0, Boston 1"><U><B><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> It was the Indians' turn to suffer from lack of production as Boston squeaked by Cleveland to take Game 3.  In the 1st inning, Cleveland had runners on 1st and 2nd with only 1 out.  But, Todd Helton struck out, and Kenny Lofton flied out to end their threat.  In the 2nd, Rondell White led off with a double, and still Cleveland couldn't capitalize.  Jose Hernandez struck out, Edwards Guzman popped out to 1st and Angel Berroa was robbed of a run-scoring hit by a diving Carl Everett.  Boston scored their only run later that inning when Juan Uribe hit a solo homerun.  On to the 6th, where Aaron Boone led off the inning with a double, only to be left stranded as Bernie Williams struck out, Helton grounded out to short, and White struck out to end the inning.  Cleveland even chased Russ Ortiz from the game after 5-2/3 innings and 108 pitches.  But, Antonio Osuna, Bob Wickman, and Dan Kolb limited the Indians to 1 hit over the next 3-1/3 innings to preserve Boston's lead and the win.  Game 4 is Saturday, October 15, at Fenway Park with Cleveland leading 2 games to 1.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Saturday, October 15</B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 4 -- Cleveland 3, Boston 6  <A HREF="id289.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland 3, Boston 6"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Boston's bats finally got going in this game.  They scored 6 runs on 11 hits to even up the series at 2 games apiece.  Cleveland scored first when Rondell White hit a 2-run homerun in the 2nd inning.  Boston got 1 run back in the bottom of that inning when Victor Martinez hit a solo homerun.  In the 3rd, Boston took the lead when Mike Piazza grounded into a fielder's choice that allowed Jose Vidro to score, and Aubrey Huff scored in the next at-bat when Carl Everett singled to right center.  In the 4th, Cleveland tied the game on a Bernie Williams solo shot.  But Boston went ahead for good later that inning.  Raul Ibanez made it to 2nd on a throwing error by Jose Hernandez and then scored when Vidro singled to right field.  Vidro added 2 more insurance runs in the 6th by doubling in Dustan Mohr and Ibanez.  Cleveland had a chance for more runs in the 8th, but with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Justin Duchscherer got Todd Helton to ground out to short, ending the inning.  Dan Kolb pitched a perfect 9th to preserve the win.  Game 5 is Sunday, October 16, at Fenway Park.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> NLCS, Game 3 -- Washington 5, San Diego 4  <A HREF="id290.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington 5, San Diego 4"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> This game came down to whomever wanted it more.  Both teams scored 2 runs in the 1st inning -- J.D. Drew hit a 2-run homerun for Washington, and Craig Wilson singled in 2 runs later that inning.  In the 3rd, with runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs for the Nationals, Carlos Lee struck out.  In the bottom of that inning, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Craig Wilson struck out and Cristian Guzman flew out to centerfield to end their threat.  In the 4th, with Juan Pierre on 2nd and 2 outs, Jason Kendall grounded out to short.  In the 5th, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Craig Wilson grounded into a double play to end the Padres' inning.  In the 7th, with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs again, Travis Hafner struck out to end the threat.  Finally, in the 8th, Washington took the lead for good.  Johnny Estrada singled in Brian Giles, and Lyle Overbay doubled in Carlos Lee, who was followed by Estrada as Jason Kendall misplayed the throw coming home.  In the bottom of the 8th, San Diego again had runners on 1st and 3rd and only 1 out.  But, Carlos Pena popped out to third and Juan Pierre flied out to centerfield to end their inning.  In the 9th, Maicer Izturis was left stranded on 2nd when Melvin Mora grounded out to 2nd.  On to the bottom of the 9th, where San Diego made it a game.  Kendall led off with a single, followed by Eric Chavez who walked, and then Magglio Ordonez doubled in Kendall to cut the lead to 5-3.  Marlon Byrd then grounded out to 2nd, which scored Chavez and put Ordonez at 3rd.  But, Ordonez would stay stranded there as Craig Wilson struck out and Jay Payton flied out to left field to end the game.  Game 4 is Sunday, October 16, with San Diego leading the series 2 games to 1.</div> <div>  </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Sunday, October 16</B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 5 -- Cleveland 9, Boston 4  <A HREF="id291.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cleveland 9, Boston 4"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Cleveland took the lead once again with a convincing win at Fenway Park today.  The Indians never trailed in this game, as they shelled Tim Hudson for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in just 4-1/3 innings.  Jose Hernandez started things off by knocking in Todd Helton with a double in the 2nd inning.  In the 4th, Helton scored again on a single by Rondell White, Hernandez singled in Kenny Lofton, Angel Berroa singled in White, and Hernandez scored on a fielder's choice to make the score 5-0.  Boston missed a chance to score later that inning when Dustan Mohr singled to left field with runners on 1st and 2nd.  But Carl Everett was called out at home on a close throw by Rondell White.  In the 5th, Helton and White increased Cleveland's lead to 7 runs with solo homeruns.  But, Mike Piazza would not let that huge lead stand for long.  That same inning, Morgan Ensberg singled in Juan Uribe to give Boston its 1st run, then Aubrey Huff singled to move Ensberg to 3rd, and Piazza cleaned the bases with a huge, arcing shot over the Green Monster to make the score 7-4.  In the 6th, Bernie Williams made the score 8-4 when he singled in Edwards Guzman from 3rd.  On to the 7th with Earl Snyder on 2nd and Morgan Ensberg on 1st for Boston, but Aubrey Huff grounded into a double play to end their threat.  Vernon Wells added an insurance run for Cleveland in the 8th with a solo shot, which was more than the Indians would need, as Eric Gagne pitched a perfect 1-2/3 innings to preserve the Game 5 win.  Game 6 will be Tuesday, October 18, at Jacobs Field.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> NLCS, Game 4 -- Washington 3, San Diego 4  <A HREF="id292.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington 3, San Diego 4"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Washington came into today's game needing a win to even the series.  And, Chris Burke got Washington on top quickly with a solo shot in the 1st inning.  But, San Diego came right back later that inning as Jason Kendall doubled in Juan Pierre and then scored on a throwing error by Brian Giles as he tried to throw Kendall out at 3rd.  Washington tied the game in the 3rd as Melvin Mora singled in Burke.  But, J.D. Drew lined out to centerfield with runners on the corners.  And, after that, both teams seemed to forget how to get runs home.  In the 4th, Jake Westbrook came up to bat with the bases loaded and hit into a double play.  In the 5th, with runners on the corners again and 1 out, Drew flied out to right field and Carlos Lee grounded to short to end another threat.  In the 6th, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Burke grounded out to 3rd.  Finally, in the 7th, Drew made up for his lack of production with a solo shot to give Washington a 3-2 lead.  For its part, San Diego only managed 2 hits and a walk from the 3rd inning on.  Until the 9th, where Washington let another chance to score slip away after Johnny Estrada popped out to left field with runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs.  In the bottom of the 9th, Jason Kendall led off with a single and advanced on a hit-and-run fielder's choice to second.  Kendall then tied the game when Magglio Ordonez singled him in from 2nd.  Carlos Pena was brought in as a pinch-runner for Ordonez, who left the game with back spasms.  Travis Hafner and Marlon Byrd both walked to load the bases, and Pena scored to win the game when Chris Burke booted the easy double play grounder off the bat of Cristian Guzman.  San Diego takes a 3 games to 1 lead into Monday's game at PETCO Park. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Monday, October 17</B></div> <div> NLCS, Game 5 -- Washington 6, San Diego 2  <A HREF="id293.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Washington 6, San Diego 2"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Roy Halladay kept the Nationals in the hunt for the NL pennant tonight with a complete game win over Kirk Rueter and the Padres.  Halladay held the Padres to 2 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5.  Brian Giles got the scoring started with a triple in the 1st inning that allowed J.D. Drew to hit a sacrifice fly and bring Giles home.  In the 2nd, San Diego got that run back when Cristian Guzman singled in Craig Wilson.  But Washington took the lead for good in the 3rd as Drew came through again with a 2-run double to put Washington up 3-1.  Halladay helped out his own cause with a 2-run double of his own in the 4th.  San Diego scored once more in the 5th when Deivi Cruz singled in Marlon Byrd to cut the lead to 5-2.  But Washington added an insurance run in the 9th and cut San Diego's series lead to 3 games to 2.  Game 6 is Wednesday, October 19, at RFK Stadium.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Tuesday, October 18</B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 6 -- Boston 5, Cleveland 4 in 13 innings  <A HREF="id302.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston 5, Cleveland 4"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> Boston got off to an early lead in this game and then struggled for most of the game to put runners on the bases.  In the 1st, after Cleveland's Jake Peavy strained his pitching elbow and left the game, Morgan Ensberg scored on a Mike Piazza single and Aubrey Huff came home on a throwing error by Kenny Lofton, and Piazza came in on a single by Victor Martinez to give Boston the early 3-0 lead.  Over the next 9 innings, however, the Red Sox could only manage 4 hits, including 2 doubles by Raul Ibanez that they couldn't capitalize on.  On the other hand, Cleveland began a slow climb back into the game.  In the 4th, Aaron Boone walked on 4 pitches and then stole 2nd immediately and made it to 3rd on a groundout to 2nd by Bernie Williams.  Todd Helton then singled Boone in to cut the lead to 3-1.  In the 7th, the Indians rallied with 2 outs.  Rondell White beat out an infield single and scored on a double by Edwards Guzman.  Jose Hernandez came in right after him on a single by Angel Berroa to tie the game.  Into the 10th, where both teams failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities.  Raul Ibanez hit his second double with 2 outs and was left stranded by Jose Vidro, and Jerry Hairston stole second with no outs and was left there as Angel Berroa popped out to the mound, Vernon Wells grounded out to 3rd, and Aaron Boone struck out to end their threat.  In the 11th, Earl Snyder hit a pinch-hit single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Mike Piazza.  But, Cleveland came right back Jose Hernandez scored Bernie Williams with a bases-loaded, 1-out single that also saw Kenny Lofton get thrown out at home trying for the win.  Mitch Meluskey grounded out to 2nd to end their inning.  In the 12th, neither team could muster a threat as Boston's Ibanez made it to 1st only to be thrown out stealing 2nd, and Cleveland's Bernie Williams grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on 1st and 2nd.  In the 13th, though, Aubrey Huff gave the Red Sox the lead once more with a 2-out solo shot, and Jeremi Gonzalez pitched a perfect bottom of the inning to preserve the win.  Game 7 is Wednesday, October 19, at Jacobs Field.  The loss was a costly one for Cleveland, as the Red Sox forced a tense Game 7 and the Indians lost the services of Jake Peavy for the rest of the postseason.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Wednesday, October 19</B></div> <div> ALCS, Game 7 -- Boston 7, Cleveland 4  <A HREF="id303.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boston 7, Cleveland 4"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> The ALCS wrapped up today as Boston won the biggest game yet of their rollercoaster season.  Bartolo Colon gave up 3 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 in 5 innings to get the win.  Adam Eaton gave up 5 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits in just 3-2/3 innings to receive the loss.  Vernon Wells put Cleveland on the board first with a solo shot in the 3rd inning, and the Indians missed a chance for more runs that inning as Kenny Lofton grounded out harmlessly to 1st with the bases loaded to end the inning.  But, Mike Piazza hit a 3 -run homerun, and Aubrey Huff and Dustan Mohr hit run-scoring singles in the 4th to give Boston all the scoring they would need.  Cleveland tried to catch up, as Jose Hernandez hit a solo shot in the 4th and Kenny Lofton singled in Bernie Williams and Todd Helton scored on a passed ball in the 4th to close the gap to 5-4.  But that was as close as Cleveland got as Boston's bullpen, a sore spot for them all season, held the Indians to 2 hits and a walk over the last 4 frames.  Jose Vidro and Piazza hit solo shots in the 7th and 8th innings, respectively, as insurance for Boston, who will represent the American League in its first OBSL World Series.  Mike Piazza was named ALCS MVP for hitting .375 with 3 HR and 10 RBI.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> NLCS, Game 6 -- San Diego 4, Washington 1  <A HREF="id304.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="San Diego 4, Washington 1"><U><IMG SRC="438100f0.jpg" border=0 width="16" height="15" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> And the NLCS wrapped up in tense fashion today.  San Diego's Jerome Williams held Washington to 3 hits through the 1st 6 innings today to help the Padres win their first-ever National League pennant.  Omar Infante got the Padres on the board in the 5th when he singled in Travis Hafner.  The Nationals missed a scoring opportunity later that inning when Lyle Overbay grounded into a double play with runners on the corners and ended their threat.  In the 6th, Cristian Guzman hit a lead-off single, stole 2nd and took 3rd on a throwing error by Johnny Estrada.  Magglio Ordonez then singled Guzman in to give San Diego a 2-0 lead.  Ordonez later scored on a passed ball by Estrada which made the score 3-0.  Washington finally scored in the 7th as Estrada made up for his error by singling in Melvin Mora from 2nd.  San Diego scored its final run in the 8th when Eric Chavez scored on a throwing error by J.D. Drew.  Washington missed more chances to score later that inning as Chris Burke singled, then Brad Lidge walked Drew and hit Mora to load the bases.  But he got Brian Giles to hit into a double play to end the inning and the threat.  Lidge then pitched a perfect 9th to preserve the win for the Padres and send them back to San Diego to wait for Boston and Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday, October 22.  Brad Lidge was named NLCS MVP for getting 2 saves in 3 appearances and giving up only 1 hit in 3-2/3 inning while striking out 5. </div> </td> </tr></table></body>