Flying Pigs Invade Kerry

You can’t tell me that the visual of a bunch of guys in kilts swinging baseball bats at flying pigs didn’t pop in your head. 

Of course, the way Kerry hit whilst dropping 4 of 5 at Philly you know the Pigs are perfectly safe.  (Note: No flying pigs were hurt in the making of this article.)  So Philly starts by doing their Macaulay Culkin bit:  You guys give up or are you thirsty for more?  Hey!  The Highlanders are on a one-game win streak, so let us at ‘em!

Game one features Jon Gray (CY) for the good guys and Eflin (BXZ) for the baconator ingredient.  (I’ll wait while you run to Wendy’s.  Go ahead.  Back?  Ok here we go.)  This marks the return of two Highlanders to Kerry, J-Rod and Victor Caratini.  Julio got a huge ovation from the Kerry fans.  Which was odd cause they booed me when I came out with the lineup.  Huh.  Julio bounced out to end the first.  Caratini reached on an error to extend the Pigs second inning.  Then Adam Frazier sent one out of the park for three unearned runs.  Miles Straw tripled and scored on a Pigs error to make it 3-1 after three.  Then Suwinski tied it up with a two run bomb in the 4^th.  Gray holds the Pigs off the board and exits after ten innings of work, having fanned 7 and allowing just five hits.  The Highlanders walk it off in the 10^th off Helsley (A*K) when Bailey and Straw club back to back doubles.

Two in a row, woo hoo!  And we have Hunter Greene (CXY) against Gerrit Cole (AXZ) for Philly.  This should go well, don’t you think?  The Kerry boys strike first.  Cole plunks Freeman (his 42 is on – wait for it – 42).  Hicks follows with a single, Freeman chugs in to third.  Hicks swipes second and both score when Suwinski singles.  Kerry up 2-0!  The Pigs claw within one (Pigs can’t claw with hooves, can they?) when Frazier’s bases loaded grounder is booted.  Springer grounds in to a 6-4-3 or it could have ugly.  The Highlanders make it a two run game plating a single run in the bottom of the 4^th.  The Pigs are back at it in the 5^th.  Bohm hits like his 15^th double of the home and home series to plate McCormick.  Singles by Caratini, Frazier and Springer knot it at 3 in the 6^th.  Another double play by Kerry saved the Highlanders, uh, bacon.  (Sorry, not sorry.)  Gimenez went yard with Hicks aboard to make if Kerry 5-3 after six.  Neris (A&C*XW), Leiter (B*XY) and Bautista (A&C*KXY) made sure it stayed that way.  Kerry up, two games to none.

Lyles (DZ) for Kerry and Musgrove (BXZ) for the Pigs.   Philly breaks our quick.  A single by Springer, a hit batsman, a Bohm infield single set the table for Jung.  His two run single was all Musgrove would need.  Kerry’s only base runners going in to the ninth were named Freeman.  Freddie got drilled (again) in the first and walked in the 7^th.  He must have been seeing Musgrove well because he doubled off him with one gone in the 9^th to break up the no-no.  Hicks walked and Gimenez hit a two out, two run, two bagger to make it 5-2.  Did I mention Julio went yard (finally) against his former mates?  No?  Well he did.  Philly took this one 5-2.  Both starters went the distance (!) like it was 1968 or something.

Miller (CYZ) took on Aaron Nola (CXZ), the pride of Philly.  It was scoreless through five.  Springer and McCormick hit back to back singles to start the visitor 6^th.  Yoshida’s infield out scored one.  J-Rod worked a walk and Bohm hit yet another two bagger to open up a three run lead.  Elvis Andrus’ solo shot made it 4-0.  (Admit it.  You thought I was going to say Elvis has left the building.  As if I would stoop to something so cheap and obvious.)  A two run single by Heim with two gone in the 8^th made it 6-0.  Kerry avoided the shutout when Westburg got his first hit as a Highlander – a round tripper with two out in the 9^th.  Bailey followed with a single, but was picked off to end the game and tie the series.

Shockingly, a win gives Kerry the series win.  (Forget the dice, it’s all in the managing.)  Dunning (BP) for Philly and Kerry sends Ryan (CXYZ cause its Joe not Nolan).  Julio starts the Pigs 2^nd with a single and scores when Bohm raps yet another two base hit.  (He hit .368 with three doubles at Kerry and .474 with 4 doubles at Philly). One run was all Philly could get this inning (It takes a triple to score Bohm from second.  If you watch Phillies games then you know.)  Gimenez collects a two out, two run single for Kerry in the 5^th.  Kerry leads 2-1.  Henry Davis gets his first Highlander hit in the 6^th, a single and scores when Freeman gets another two out RBI base knock.  Stanek (C*Y) and Bautista (A&C*KXY) toss three scoreless innings to pin the hard luck loss on Dunning.  3-1, Kerry and they take the series.  Julio bats .105 in his return to Kerry. 

Wanna bet he does better when Philly comes back for five more in January?