Blake Snell Beats Lucas Giolito to Win MLB The Show Players League World Series
May 3, 2020
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell swept Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in the MLB The Show Players League World Series.
Given the fact games only last three innings, building an early lead was pivotal.
Snell hit three homers and put five runs on the board by the second inning in Game 1 en route to a 5-1 victory.
It was the same story in Game 2. Hunter Renfroe singled home Willy Adames, and Ji-Man Choi delivered a two-run home run to put the Rays up 3-0 in the first inning.
Giolito made things interesting on a solo homer with Edwin Encarnacion in the top of the third, cutting the deficit to 3-2, but Snell shut the door with hard-throwing Rays reliever Jose Alvarado.
Snell was held scoreless in the first inning of Game 3 before once again drawing first blood in the second frame. Giolito induced a double play after back-to-back singles to open the frame only to watch a drive from Yandy Diaz sail over the left-field fence to give Tampa Bay a two-run cushion.
With the hopes of Giolito and the White Sox already fading, Snell tacked on four insurance runs in the third inning to coast to a 6-0 win.
Snell lost to Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett in the final of a four-player tournament in March, and the 2018 American League Cy Young winner largely rolled through the Players League to this point. He compiled the best record (24-5) during the regular season and dropped one game between the best-of-three quarterfinals and semifinals.
It's hard to know the setting in which the southpaw is more dominant: standing on the mound or sitting in front of the television with the sticks in his hands.