2010 World Series Game 1

Game 1 Charlotte at Philadelphia. This matchup pits 2010 Superior League Cy Young winner Charlie Zito, against the team that originally drafted him and let him walk last year as a free agent, against Rudy Baker. Charlotte gets off to a 4-0 lead after the top of the 6th, thanks to some good small ball play from Eddie Cedeno and Jacen Solo (3 SB and hit and runs). Baker leaves the game with a line of 5-9-4-4-5-3 and Philadelphia is wishing they had started regular season ace Lee Harvey Oswalt instead.

In the bottom of the 6th, Philly makes it interesting. With one out, Alex Gallaway gets a pinch hit single. Then, Jimmy Taylor and Ron Foreman are hit by the pitch to load the bases for the Big Show, Paul White. White works the bases loaded walk to make it 4-1. Matt Bulger then hits into a force at second, but the score is now 4-2. Balboni then singles to right to make it 4-3, before Zito is able to get out of the inning.

In the 7th, Kelso gets a single for Charlotte. With 2 out and Kelso on first, Sergio Perez is hit by a Chuck Rader pitch. The umpire decides to exert some control over the situation (3 hit batters in a span of one inning), and ejects Rader. Tommy Miller then singles to left to make the score 5-3. Thats the way it stayed until the 8th inning, when Charlotte brings in their lefty specialist Brian Torres to face Paul White. The Big Show responds with a Big Fly, and the lead is cut to 5-4.

But the comeback was not to be. In the bottom of the 9th, Rob Porter shuts down the Philadelphia lineup 1-2-3 and Charlotte wins Game 1 5-4. Zito gets the win, 6.1-5-3-3-1-2 and Porter gets the save, 1.2-1-0-0-0-0.