The Result
Aeros - 5 runs to 2

The Playoffs
Curve - 2 won and 3 lost
Aeros - 3 won and 2 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Leftfield
Batting - #4

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 3 at-bats - 2 x walks, 2 x strike outs

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Ball - outside
Ball - just misses outside
Ball - low and wide
Ball - outside
Walk
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Called strike
Ball - outside
Ball - inside
Called strike/Foul ball - not broadcasted ???
Ball
"And here comes the full count pitch ...... and it's low and Brett has his second straight walk of the ballgame"
Walk
Advanced to second base on a hit
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and third base - two down
Called strike - "that was a perfect pitch on the outside corner"
Ball - slider - low and outside
Ball - "and Brett held up his swing there"
"That ball is hit pretty well into leftfield but it's going to stay in the park and the fielder makes the catch just shy of the warning track ...... the Curve leave two runners on base and they are trailing in the ballgame four runs to one here in the top of the fifth innings"
Fly out to leftfield - F7
Fourth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - two down
Called strike - slider - on the outside corner
Ball - slider - outside
Swing and a miss
Ball - outside
Ball - upstairs
"And here comes the '3ball-2strike' pitch ...... and Roneberg leaves it and it's called strike three!!! ...... and Brett smashes his bat on the ground a couple of times!!! ...... he knows he shouldn't have let that pitch go by!!! ...... that was a huge out for the Aeros!!! ...... the Curve strand two runners here in the top of the seventh innings and they are trailing in the ballgame by four runs to two!!!"
Strike out
Fifth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Game Five off the Playoffs!!!
Top of the ninth innings!!!
The Curve trail five runs to two!!!
Runners at first and second base!!!
One down!!!
Swing and a miss - pitch was low and away
Ball - fast ball - outside
Swing and a miss
Ball - "and Roneberg checked his swing and the umpire says he didn't go around ...... but that was a close one!!!"
Foul ball - "Brett just got a piece of that one"
"Here comes the pitch ...... Roneberg chases it and swings and misses!!! ...... he didn't look comfortable in that at-bat ...... he strikes out for the second out of the innings"
Strike out
NOTE - The following batter grounded out to shortstop - THE SEASON IS OVER FOR THE CURVE!!!

Heard during the Game

(#01) During Brett's first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett had a tremendous finish to the regular season ..... in his final thirty-four games, he went 42-from-114 for an average of 0.368 over that time"
He also said - "Brett finished the season with a batting average of 0.303 and that was second best in the entire Eastern League ...... plus he had a 0.379 on-base-percentage, which was fifth best in the League"

(#02) During Brett's second at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett has hit safely in all four playoff games so far ...... he is batting 7-from-15 with a home run and two doubles, and he has driven in four of the Curve runs ...... his batting average in the playoffs is 0.467 coming in to tonight's Game Five"

Playoff Statistics "Series-to-Date"
Games/Innings played
-------------------#1 - complete game
-------------------#2 - 5.5 innings
-------------------#3 - 8 innings
-------------------#4 - 8 innings
-------------------#5 - complete game
------21 x plate appearances
------18 x at-bats
------7 x hits
------------4 x singles
------------2 x doubles
------------1 x home run
------4 x runs-driven-in
------4 x runs scored
------3 x walk
------4 x strike outs
------3 x fly outs
------4 x ground outs
Batting average - 0.389
Slugging average - 0.667
On base percentage - 0.476

Email from Brett

BEFORE
Just woke up in Akron
About 1.00pm and will be going to the field soon
Hope it's a good one to listen too!!

AFTER
Well, well, well - that sucked!!
It was definately disappointing to have my worst game of the playoffs in the final Game Five - that's for sure!!
And to have it end with us being so close - not fun at all!!
Not much more to say about it for now though - will say more when I come home

Email written on Monday 11th September 2006
I am in a cast right now
I can move my foot back and forwards but not sideways
I hope it helps
It has bothered me since it happened and still does
I was told it might not feel too good for about two or three months
Oh well, just have to deal with it

Game Reports

The Altoona Curve’s 2006 season came to an end on Sunday night after they lost the deciding Game Five of their first-round playoff series against the Akron Aeros, 5-2

It is the third time in four years that the Curve’s season has ended with a post-season loss to the Aeros

The Aeros and Curve had the best home records in the Eastern League during the regular season, and both teams combined to go 5-0 at home during their five-game playoff series

After losing the first two games of the series at Canal Park by a combined margin of 24-7, the Curve kept Game Five close, but couldn’t capitalize on the momentum gained from two straight wins in Altoona

Akron scored once in the first inning and built a four-run advantage after a three-run home run by Brad Snyder in the fourth inning

The Curve would plate a single run in both the fifth and sixth inning to cut the deficit in half, but couldn’t complete the comeback despite bringing the tying run to the plate three times in the top of the ninth inning

Nerio Rodriguez was the starting and losing pitcher for the Curve, allowing four runs on four hits in five innings pitched

Leading 1-0, the Aeros pulled away in the bottom of the fourth inning with three more runs
Ryan Goleski and Brian Barton singled to start the inning, and Snyder launched his first home run of the post-season to make it a 4-0 game

The Curve responded in the top of the fifth when Brandon Chaves walked to lead off the inning and scored after back-to-back base hits by Milver Reyes and Javier Guzman
With the Curve still threatening, Tony Sipp came out of the bullpen to replace starter “Bear” Bay
Sipp would get out of the inning without allowing another run to score, and go on to earn the victory with one run allowed over two innings pitched

The Curve would score once more on a Ray Sadler home run

The Curve then put runners on first and second with nobody out in the ninth against Jim Ed Warden
However, Andrew McCutchen, Brett Roneberg and Simon Pond couldn’t advance the runners

Brad Snyder slugged a three-run homer as Akron beat visiting Altoona, 5-2, on Sunday to win the Eastern League Southern Division Championship Series

With the Aeros leading in the fourth inning, 1-0, Brandon Pinckney singled, stole second and advanced to third on Brian Barton's base hit
Snyder, a left-handed hitter, deposited a changeup from starter Nerio Rodriguez over the left-field wall to give Akron a four-run advantage

"I wasn't totally sitting on a changeup, but that was the pitch I had in the back of my mind" said the 24-year-old right fielder
"Rodriguez left it down the middle and up, and I was able to throw my hands out there and hit it well"

Akron starter Bear Bay tossed four scoreless innings before yielding a run on a walk, a double and a single in the fifth
With runners on the corners and nobody out, Tony Sipp (1-0) relieved and retired the next three batters

Aeros manager Tim Bogar said he had gotten all he wanted out of Bay, a reliever and spot starter

Bogar, who used five pitchers, added that he didn't hesitate to lean on his bullpen at such an early juncture
"Sometimes you have to save the game right in the middle of it" said Bogar, the EL Manager of the Year
"We had just taken a nice lead after the homer, and I felt like it was an important part of the game to get through with as little damage as possible
Tony came in and did an outstanding job getting out of that first-and-third situation
It was big for him to step up there and get out of the inning"

Sipp, who fanned four, served up a two-out solo shot to Ray Sadler in the sixth

Jim Ed Warden tossed a perfect eighth before giving up a leadoff single to Javier Guzman and plunking Brian Bixler in the ninth
With the tying run at the plate, Warden struck out Andrew McCutchen and Brett Roneberg and induced Simon Pond to ground out to notch his second postseason save

After nearly squandering a 2-0 series lead, Akron will face the Portland Sea Dogs in the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series, which begins Tuesday in Portland and is a rematch from last year

Snyder said it was appropriate that the Southern Division title went down to the wire after the two teams split their season series at twelve games apiece

Akron also beat Altoona last year in five games for the division title

"Every game with those guys is a tough battle" Snyder said
"They've had a great year, too, and it's been a lot of fun when we've played those guys
We've had our share of one-run games with them this year"

Akron got on the board in the first, when Trevor Crowe led off with double and scored on Ryan Goleski's sacrifice fly

Wyatt Toregas' RBI single in the seventh gave the Aeros a 5-2 lead

Rodriguez (0-1) surrendered four runs on four hits while fanning three over five innings

Dave Davidson pitched around a walk in the sixth, then yielded a run while recording two outs in the seventh

Jorge Vasquez blanked the Aeros over the final 1-1/3 frames

Guzman went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Ray Sadler belted a solo homer for Altoona

Grizzled Dale Sveum and even-keeled Tony Beasley adhered to the ‘‘there’s no crying in baseball’’ mantra after the Curve were eliminated from the playoffs the past three years
Not Tim Leiper

‘‘I love these guys’’ Altoona’s manager, hunched over in a stool in his office, said late Sunday night
Leiper lowered his head, wiped his eyes and uttered, ‘‘Just give me a second so I can get through this’’

No manager in Curve history cared more about his players than Leiper, so it didn’t hit any of them as hard when the season fell short of a championship

Altoona’s fourth consecutive playoff appearance ended with the franchise still looking for its first Eastern League title as Akron beat the Curve, 5-2, in the decisive Game Five of the Southern Division series at Canal Park

‘‘What a great year, one of the best years I’ve ever had’’ Leiper said

The season ended, as it also did in 2003 and 2005, against an Akron team that proved to be just a little better than the Curve
How much better?
Well, the teams split the regular-season series, 12-12, and the Aeros’ win Sunday gave them a slight 15-14 advantage

The difference between the two teams Sunday and the decisive factor for the entire season was simple - a seemingly routine flyball that kept carrying and carrying until it went over the left field wall for a three-run homer
Akron’s Brad Snyder smacked that game-changing hit with one out in the fourth inning to give the home team a 4-0 lead

‘‘I thought it was just a flyball’’ Curve pitching coach Ray Searage said, ‘‘and it just kept on carrying, and before you know it, it went over the wall’’

Altoona battled back from two rough showings earlier in the series to force a Game Five, and with the make-up of the team, it wasn’t surprising to see another comeback Sunday
The Curve had an answer for every such occasion all season, but they fell just short this time

‘‘The way they played tonight was a tribute to how they played all year’’ hitting coach Brandon Moore said

Javier Guzman, who hit .476 (10-for-21) in the series, blooped a single to center in the fifth to score Brandon Chaves with the Curve’s first run
Altoona had runners at the corners with no outs and missed a chance for further damage in the inning as Aeros reliever Tony Sipp came on to escape the threat

Ray Sadler, who led the Curve with fifteen homers during the regular season, hit his second of the playoffs to make it 4-2 in the sixth
‘‘We fought as hard as we could’’ Sadler said
‘‘We just came up short
It just shows that we’re family’’

Altoona, which collected ten hits to Akron’s six, had lots of other chances but couldn’t get another clutch hit and left twelve men on base

Still, the Curve fought to the finish, putting the first two batters on in the ninth against Akron closer Jim Ed Warden
Guzman singled and Brian Bixler was hit by a pitch before Warden regrouped to strike out Andrew McCutchen and Brett Roneberg
Warden then induced a grounder to shortstop from Simon Pond, and Ivan Ochoa threw on to first to give the Aeros their third Southern Division championship in four years

Akron will defend its EL title this week against Portland

‘‘They’re a great ballclub, and they match up with us fantastic’’ Akron manager Tim Bogar said of the Curve
‘‘It was actually fun playing them
I enjoyed playing them because both teams played pure baseball’’

Nerio Rodriguez turned in a strong effort in a surprise start for Altoona, but Snyder’s flyball that kept flying gave him the loss

Sipp won in relief for Akron

Asked if the team accomplished everything it could have this season, veteran infielder Simon Pond said, ‘‘Could have?
That’s a tough question
We have enough talent here to win it all
Is there anything more you could have asked of us?
Not really’’

The Curve coaches thanked the players in the clubhouse after the game, with Searage making the most poignant comments
He talked about some of the players going in different directions over the next few years but reminded them all to remember their accomplishments and friendships from this season

That’s particularly true about this year’s squad, which included more older, veteran free agents than past Curve playoff clubs
Those players helped Altoona sustain a playoff streak during a season in which the Pirates lacked top-notch prospect talent at the Double-A level
Despite that, and a roster that saw key players coming and going seemingly every few days, the Curve still got within one game of playing for the EL title

Through his tears, Leiper said, ‘‘You’re lucky when you feel like this’’ after a season and gave all the credit to the players responsible for his feelings
‘‘I’m very proud of them’’ Leiper said
‘‘They did a heck of a job’’

Nothing like a little controversy to add some spice to an already tension-filled Game Five in the Eastern League Southern Division Series on Sunday night at Canal Park

The drama in the Aeros' clinching 5-2 victory centered around Altoona Curve right-hander Nerio Rodriguez, who surprisingly was tabbed as the Curve's starter after being activated from the disabled list before the game
The veteran 35-year-old pitched at three levels in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization this season but in just three games for the Curve after serving a fifty game suspension for violating baseball's minor-league drug policy in May

What upset the Aeros and ultimately helped spark their third division pennant in four years was their belief the Curve faked an injury to left-hander Mike Connolly so Rodriguez could be activated
League rules require playoff rosters be set before each series
Only an injury to a player allows for an adjustment, and then the replacement has to come at the same position
Connolly ran on the field early Sunday evening
Members of the Altoona media and public relations said they were unaware of Connolly's injury
He surrendered three runs on four hits in two innings in the Curve's 12-10 Game One loss

``We don't know what Connolly's injury is, but we hope it's not too serious'' Indians farm director John Farrell said
He called the league Sunday afternoon to check into the situation
Aeros manager Tim Bogar declined to comment and referred questions to Farrell
The Curve did not release any information about the injury

The Curve's move fired up the Aeros, waking the offense from a two-game slumber in Altoona that evened the series and forced the decisive fifth game
The Aeros advance into next week's championship matchup with the Portland Sea Dogs

Trevor Crowe jolted the Aeros' offense to life in the first inning, leading off with a double to the left-center field gap
Brandon Pinckney's sacrifice bunt moved Crowe to third before he scored on Ryan Goleski's sacrifice fly to center field

Brad Snyder made it a 4-0 Aeros lead with a three-run home run to left field off Rodriguez in the fourth inning

Aeros embattled starter Ronald ``Bear'' Bay continued to rebound from the midseason slump that bumped him from the starting rotation into the bullpen
The right-hander was dominating through the first four innings to earn the win

As soon as the Curve rallied for a run in the fifth inning with no outs against Bay, Bogar went to the bullpen to summon Tony Sipp
The left-hander promptly quelled the threat by sitting down the next three batters in order

``We were going to manipulate the game however it dictated, and right there in the fifth inning, that's when we saved it'' Bogar said

A solo home run by Ray Sadler with two outs in the sixth helped the Curve cut the deficit to two runs

But the Aeros added an insurance run in the seventh on aggressive base running by Pat Osborn and a Wyatt Toregas RBI single

Back to basics
Through the first four games of playoff action, Crowe, a center fielder, led the Aeros with a .500 batting average (9-for-18) with two doubles, two triples and two stolen bases
``Since he's been able to focus on just playing the game and not on a position change, he's been back to his old self'' Bogar said
"Now, he's back to just playing, not thinking''
Once the postseason began, Crowe's proposed change to second base was shelved for the time being
``It sounds like he'll work at it some more in instructional league'' Bogar said
``He's also scheduled to go to the Arizona Fall League, but we'll see what happens in instructional ball first''

Up next
The Aeros defeated the Curve three-games-to-two in the best-of-five division series for the second consecutive season, and the Aeros advance to the EL Championship Series
The Aeros will host the Sea Dogs for Games One and Two at Canal Park beginning at 7.05pm Tuesday

Brad Snyder clubbed a three-run homer to power Akron to a 5-2 win over Altoona at Canal Park in the decisive fifth game of their series, putting the Aeros in the Eastern League finals

Awaiting the Aeros are the Portland Sea Dogs, who eliminated the Trenton Thunder in four games

Akron scored once in the first inning and built a four-run advantage after a three-run home run by Snyder in the fourth inning
Ryan Goleski and Brian Barton singled to start the inning

The Curve would plate a single run in both the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit in half, but couldn't complete the comeback despite bringing the tying run to the plate three times in the top of the ninth

The Curve responded in the top of the fifth when Brandon Chaves walked to lead off the inning and scored after back-to-back base hits by Milver Reyes and Javier Guzman
With the Curve still threatening, Tony Sipp came out of the bullpen to replace starter "Bear" Bay
Sipp would get out of the inning without allowing another run to score, and go on to earn the victory with one run allowed over two innings pitched

The Curve would score once more on a Ray Sadler home run

The Curve then put runners on first and second with nobody out in the ninth against Jim Ed Warden
However, Andrew McCutchen, Brett Roneberg and Simon Pond couldn’t advance the runners

Nerio Rodriguez was the starting and losing pitcher for the Curve, allowing four runs on four hits in five innings pitched