GAME 1
Gators 4, Drivers 0
Aaron Sanchez was masterful for the Gators, throwing a compete-game two-hitter. Wilmer Flores tagged Brandon Finnegan for two homers, driving in three of the Gators' four runs.
GAME 2
Drivers 5, Gators 3
The Drivers scratched together a run in the first inning and Goldenrod tied it up in the third. Each team threw up a two-spot in the fourth. Things settled down for the next three innings until the eight when Todd Frazier dropped a bloop single into left field, scoring Yoenis Cespedes and Jedd Gyorko. The Death Valley bullpen of Alex Wood, Chris Devenski and Kelvin Herrera locked down the last three inning to help get the W for the Drivers.
GAME 3
Drivers 2, Gators 1
This was another surprising pitcher's duel. The Gators were able to get to Aaron Nola in the fifth for a run when Jarrod Dyson plated Russell Martin. It looked like that was all the Gators would need as they entered the bottom of the ninth, but then Randal Grichuk stepped to the plate and dumped a home run into the right field seats. Todd Frazier came in to pinch-hit and singled, followed by a Adeiny Hechavarria single. With two on and one out, Welington Castillo shot a grounder up the middle to plate Frazier, and the exuberant Driver faithful celebrated the walk-off and a 2-1 series lead.
GAME 4
Drivers 4, Gators 3
This became a tight game despite the best efforts of each team's starting pitcher. After giving up two runs and five hits in the first two innings, Death Valley's Clay Buchholz was looking down the barrel of the Gator's righty-killers. Desperate to keep things from getting out of control, Buchholz (in his last appearance as a Driver) was pulled and Alex Wood was called on to save the game, and that he did. Over three innings, Wood allowed only one walk while striking out five. On the other side, the Gators had seen enough of Dallas Keuchel after 2.1 innings when the Drivers got two runs in the second and two in the third to take a 4-2 lead. With the bullpens in charge, all the bats fell silent. The Gators were able to close the gap to one run in the eighth after T.J. Rivera's pinch-hit single scored Ryan Braun. Death Valley closer Kelvin Herrera pulled himself back together and got through the eighth without any more damage and then struck out the side in the ninth, giving the Drivers a 3-1 series lead.
GAME 5
Gators 2, Drivers 0
This was a pitching rematch from Game 1 and it played out the same. Aaron Sanchez spun seven wonderful innings, never letting six hits or four walks turn into runs. Rich Hill pitched the final two frames for the shutout win. Franklin Gutierrez hit one into the stands and Ryan Braun drove in Tim Anderson in the eighth. Brandon Finnegan pitched surprising well again, but Sanchez was simply better.
GAME 6
Gators 6, Drivers 5
ROLLERCOASTER!
The Gators jumped out first, getting a run in the first and then adding three in the fifth, including a Ryan Braun home run. John Lackey was pitching a great game, making that 4-0 lead feel much bigger. Death Valley scratched a run in the sixth (Welington Castillo homer) and in the seventh (Carlos Gomez singling in Joe Panik). The big , surprising blow came in the eighth when Jedd Gyoko launched one into the stands with Eric Hosmer and Yoenis Cespedes on board. With a two-run lead and closer Kelvin Herrera on the mound, MMDA officials started taping up plastic tarps in the Death Valley locker room—only to have to tear it down moments later. Jarrod Dyson led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Next up, Billy Hamilton doubled, scoring Dyson. With everyone on their feet, Travis Shaw was tapped to pinch-hit and laced a single into the outfield, scoring Hamilton. Now it was time for the Gators faithful to explode. But there was little time to celebrate, because there was a Game 7 to be played in less than 24 hours.
GAME 7
Drivers 7, Gators 2
One of these games was not like the others. Death Valley was able to get to Gators pitching early. They chased Jeff Samardzija after 1.2 innings, getting four runs off him. In total, the Drivers got five runs in the first three innings, which included two homers from Randal Grichuk. The Gators were able to put one up in the fourth and one in the fifth. Again, the Death Valley bullpen (Jharel Cotton, Chris Devenski and Alex Wood) stepped up and kept the Gators off the board. The Drivers were able to breath a little easier after they plated two more runs in the ninth. Erik Goeddel grabbed the final outs, and when Eric Hosmer caught Adeiny Hechavarria's throw from across the diamond, hats and gloves were thrown into the air, and the traveling Drivers fans celebrated with their team.
Death Valley's World Series MVP could be its bullpen. They combined for 22.1, 15 hits, nine walks, 35 strikeouts and zero home runs. And if you take Herrera out, they pitched 18.2 scoreless innings with a 0.86 WHIP.
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