Rainiers PCL Playoffs Game 5
Feierabend v Mortensen, 7:00pm
The Rainiers won the first two games on the road, then saw the RiverCats pull the same trick in Safeco. Tonight’s the deciding game – the winner heads to Memphis for the PCL championship.
The series has been defined by command, or the lack thereof. Game 1 saw the Rainiers spot Sacramento to a 7-1 lead, but RiverCats starter Clayton Mortensen’s wildness gave the Rainiers an opening, and got to Travis Blackley to get the come-from-behind win. The Rainiers led most of game 2, thanks to another 5 walks in 5 2/3 from Sacramento starter Travis Banwart.
In Safeco, Rainiers starters Mauricio Robles and Yusmeiro Petit had decent off-speed stuff but little command of their fastballs, and while neither was hit terribly hard, the walks ran up pitch counts and meant the Rainiers were consistently playing from behind (Sacramento has scored at least one run in the first inning of 3 of the 4 games so far).
Tonight Sacramento starts Mortensen, their ace, on 3 days rest. The Rainiers will counter with Ryan Feierabend, who’s making his first appearance of the series. Game 1 starter Andy Baldwin’s available in the bullpen as well.
The Mariners start someone not named Felix Hernandez, so why not tune in to Mike Curto on 850AM or here? Better yet, come down to Safeco. The logistical issues of getting to Safeco while thousands of Seahawks fans leave proved much less severe than I’d thought. So come down; you may have an entire section to yourself, but if you’ve ever wanted to feel like some insane tycoon who orders professional sporting events played for his/her personal benefit, tonight’s the night.
–Update–
RAINIERS WIN! The Rainiers take the series 3-2, with a 4-1 win in game 5. After trailing for the middle innings, the M’s tied it in the 6th, then took the lead on a truly bizarre play: 1 out, runner on first. Jose Yepez hits a grounder to short who goes to 2nd to try and get Mike Wilson, but Wilson beats the relay. The 2B fires to first in time to get Yepez, and 1B Tommy Everidge, thinking there were 3 outs, throws the ball into the crowd. That’s a 2-base error, and that allows Wilson to score, about 5 minutes after the play ended.
A Matt Mangini two-run HR gave them some breathing room, and Josh Lueke closed it out in the 9th. Ryan Feierabend’s the player of the game, after an 8IP, 1R, 2H, 0BB performance.
As usual, pictures below.
In other MiLB playoff news, the Everett Aquasox won the NWL championship tonight (and intrastate bragging rights) over Spokane. West Tennessee lost their SL series to plain old Tennessee. The Clinton Lumberkings beat Kane County (another Oakland affiliate) this afternoon in their MWL semifinal series.
Ryan Feierabend throwing the first pitch:
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55 Responses to “Rainiers PCL Playoffs Game 5”
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Exactly – I used the pay lot across from the stadium, the one adjacent to the Safeco lot. It was $3 – cheaper than parking at Cheney!
If you wanted to walk about a block, there was free parking everywhere.
Glad I made it back to see the Rainiers clinch the title! When I get back to Memphis I can catch a few more…I’ll be sitting next to their dugout cheering them on.
Heck of a game. Surreal to watch the Rainiers in Safeco. The celebration was amazing to see. Pineda/Wilson/Snell and others signed a ball that the ballgirl gave us. Ian Snell even gave me a beer.
Was at the last game in Safe last year where Griff was carried around the field. That was a Safeco memory. This one ranks right up there, although I hate the moose now.
Jay, your stuff is fantastic.
Uh, no. Any other day of the week, maybe, but you can’t say this about Sunday. Street parking is free on Sunday, and there’s plenty of it. I mostly ride my bike to day games (as I did to the Rainiers game on Saturday), but I’ve driven to several Sunday games for exactly this reason and never had a problem.
Heck, last September my mother wanted to see the Yankees so we drove down. We didn’t go especially early, but we found parking on the street within the distance a 77-year-old woman could easily walk — and there were 35,000 more people going to that game than the sad 800 that went to see the Rainiers on Sunday. What’s more, I actually had to walk further to see the Rainiers at Cheney back in August, because by the time I got there the parking lots were full and I had to park on the street out beyond the lots. (It was a Friday night game with fireworks afterwards).
Parking in the I-District is a quicker walk to Safeco, and you can stop at (eg) Uwajimaya to pick up some eats (the summer rolls from the Vietnamese place are a great and cheap alternative to overpriced dogs at Safeco, and you can take them in with you).
So, yeah, bitch about parking any other day of the week, but not on Sunday. (And if you go early on a Sunday that ends a homestand, you can get in to see batting practice too.)
Even any other day of the week, you don’t have to pay if you’re smart about it. Just drive down a couple blocks and park on the street after 5. They’re two hour zones that open up after seven. Or find a side street with open parking, of which there are plenty.
I’ve been to around 20 or so games at SafeCo this year, and have paid for parking at none of them.