Game 1

Game 1 - Padres 14-6*************************

The Pirates & Padres square for the 2^nd consecutive year in the playoffs. Last year the Padres got the better half of the series sweeping the Pirates in 4 games. In Game 1, the aces for both squads were to face off in Roy Oswalt vs Johan Santana.

The Pirates jump out to the early first inning lead courtesy of RBI singles of Travis Hafner & Casey Blake. The Pad’s would answer in the the 2^nd with a five spot. With one out, Ibanez singled followed by a strike out by Vlad Guerrero. Cameron would hit an RBI double scoring Ibanez all the way from first. Then Paulino would single to put runners on first and second. Hudson walked to load the bases when Tejada got a 2 RBI singe to extend the lead to 4-2. After a Pittsburgh pitching change, San Diego would round off the scoring with a Garrett Atkins RBI single.

The Padres add two more in the 5^th thanks to back to back doubles by Orlando Hudson and Miguel Tejada, then Chipper Jones finished off the scoring with an RBI single.

John Buck would bring the Pirates one run closer as he hit a solo home run in the top of the 6^th to bring the score to 7-2.

The Padres would be the beneficiary of some bad Pittsburgh fielding. Ironic enough, the Pirates had the best fielding team in the National League in 2007. The Padres would score an unearned run in the 6^th when the Padres had another 5 run inning. The highlight of the inning was a 3 run home run by Chipper Jones and 2 run home run by Vladimir Guerrero.

Padres would add 2 more in the 8^th via sacrifice flies and then the Pirates added a solo home run from Travis Hafner. This would be Hafner’s 8^th home run in 7 games this 2007 post season.

Noteworthy: Pittsburgh hit into 4 double plays in this game.

Padres win Game 1 14-6.

Game 2 - Padres 3-2 ***************************

While still in San Diego, this game would look more like the pitching match-up we expected in Game 1. Chin Ming Wang represented Pittsburg and Roy Halladay went to the hill for San Diego.

Victor Martinez got the scoring started for the Pirates as he deposited a 2 run homer to put the bucs up 2-0 in the third inning.

Chin Ming Wang looked like a Cy Young Award winner out there. But again the Pirates were stunned by the errors. In this game they would commit 3 more errors resulting in two unearned runs.

The Padres added unearned runs in the 5^th & 6^th innings.

In the 5^th with two out, Paulino doubled to left and then promptly scored when Furcal committed his 2^nd error of the season. In the 6^th inning, Chipper Jones walked then stole 2^nd and advanced to third on the throwing error by Victor Martinez. Atkins would cash him in with a sacrifice fly to left bringing the score even at 2’s.

In the bottom of the 9^th, the Padres sent Mike Cameron to the plate who walked. Wolford brought in Francisco Rodriguez to face Paulino. Cameron stole 2^nd, putting the winning run 180 feet away. Paulino sent the series to Pittsburgh with the Padres up 2 games to none as he knocked in Cameron in walk-off fashion. Padres win Game 2 3-2.

Noteworthy: Wang’s line: 6.2, 1 H, 2 UNEARNED R, 3 BB & 3K

Game 3 - Padres 10-4 **************************

The Padres would quiet the Pittsburgh crowd down in a hurry. The Padres would flex their muscles as Chipper Jones, Lance Berkman and Vlad Guerrero would each hit home runs, putting the Padres up 4-0 before the Pirates ever come to bat.

The Pirates cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the first. Casey Blake led off with a single followed by a triple by Freddy Sanchez, knocking in Blake from first. Johnny Damon would hit a sacrifice fly for the 2^nd run of the inning.

The Padres add runs in the third, fifth and seventh courtesy of two solo home runs by Raul Ibanez in the third and fifth. Then Vlad Guerrero added his second home run of the game with a 2 run shot in the seventh.

Pittsburgh added two runs in 8^th courtesy of a two run double by Jeff Francoeur.

San Diego would finish the scoring in the top of the ninth with an RBI triple by Mike Cameron followed by an RBI ground out by Paulino as the Padres win Game 3 10-4

Game 4 - Pirates 4-1**************************

With their backs against the wall, the Pirates are in a must win situation for the rest of the series. The Pirates send Roy Oswalt back to the mound on short notice.

Jeff Crede opened up the scoring for the Pirates in the 2^nd with an RBI double.

San Diego evened the score in the 5^th with yet another home run by Padres Vlad Guerrero.

Pittsburgh would show some life in the bottom of the fifth when the Pirates loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Crede, Furcal and Crawford. Hafner would stay hot has he drove in 2 runs with a single to shallow center. Crawford would score on the error by Mike Cameron bringing the score to 4-1.

Oswalt stepped up the plate and the Pittsburgh bullpen held the lead by throwing 4 innings of one hit ball so that Pirates live to see another day. Pirates win Game 4, 4-1.

Game 5 - Pirates 5-3************************

With the Padres comfortably up 3-1, the Pirates had to face the dominating ace in Johan Santana. For the second straight start, the Pirates jumped out to an early lead against the Padres stud. Furcal opened the game with a double followed by a single from Freddy Sanchez to put runners on the corners. Hafner would continue to stay hot as he knocked in Furcal from third. With runners on first and second, Victor Martinez sacrificed himself to move the runners to second and third. Johnny Damon would cash Sanchez in from third with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Pirates the 2-0 lead.

The theme for Padres this series was the home run ball. In the top of the 4^th, the Padres Garrett Atkins hit a solo home run to bring the score to 2-1.

The Pirates would extend their lead to 3-1 with a 4^th inning solo home run from Victor Martinez.

In the top of the 7^th inning, Mike Cameron walked and stole 2^nd before Paulino knocked him in again to tie the score 3-2

The Pirates would finish their scoring in the bottom of the 8^th. The Padres changed pitchers and brought in Rafael Soriano to face the heart of the Pittsburgh lineup. Freddy Sanchez led off the inning with a double. Ted Talbott, manager of the Padres gave a free pass to Hafner when Wolford once again sacrificed with Victor Martinez up to put runners on 2^nd & 3^rd. Johnny Damon would get two more RBI’s with a 1 out double to set the score at 5-2.

San Diego would threaten in the top of the ninth inning as Mike Cameron got a one out RBI single, but Zumaya came in to close the door and bring the series to 3-2.

Game 6 - Padres 2-1*************************

As the series headed back to San Diego, both managers decided to go with their “Roy’s”. The Pirates’ Oswalt making his third start of the series and the Padres countered with Roy Halladay.

Believe it or not, this game would be a pitchers duel, however the Pirates fielding once again became a major contributing factor.

Pirates were the first to strike with a Joe Crede solo home run in the top of the 5^th.

The only other scoring in the game was in the bottom of the 7^th. Guerrero led off the inning with a pop out to first. Mike Cameron doubled to left and Jason Varitek struck out. Orlando Hudson singled to left and Cameron scored on the throwing error by Eric Hinske. Wolford brought in Zumaya at this point to face Miguel Tejada. Tejada did not waste any time as he singled up the middle scoring Hudson from third.

Tablott left Roy Halladay in to finish the game and he worked a perfect ninth to send the Padres to their fourth World Series in five years and the opportunity to win back to back to back titles!   

NL MVP is Roy Halladay.