We Got Wood - 42.57 - Quincy Claims AAA Title!!
Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 12:43 pm
The Portland farm system did it again. Just days after Alpine Valley claimed The Final Judgement, the title awarded to the champion in Double-A, the Quincy Firedancers overcame a 2-1 deficit in The Big One to claim the Triple-A championship over the St. Paul Riverhawks of the Calgary organization!
After dropping game one 8-6, the Firedancers recovered to take game 2 3-1 behind superb pitching by Francisco Franco. Franco allowed just 2 hits over 7.1 shutout innings to claim the win. Quincy dropped game three 7-5 forcing the Firedancers to win back to back games for the title. They did just that.
Albert Gaono and Francisco Cortez led the charge in game 4, tallying 3 hits each to spark a huge rally in the 7th inning. Up 3-0 going to the inning, the Firedancers put up 7 runs in the inning behind a Cortez double. Cortez, who homered earlier in the game said after the game "We're still alive! Game 5, at our place in Quincy. I like our chances."
"It's been a wild couple of days" said Albert Gaona after the game. "The front office contacted me the day after we won in Alpine Valley and asked how willing I was to fly to St. Paul to help Quincy with a title. At first I asked why I'd do it and they said they needed a 1B for the final two games. They were calling Rodrigo Barbosa up to Portland for the final few games to give him a look and asked if I'd fill his spot. They sold me on how cool a story it could possibly be if I were to somehow win two titles in a week for two teams. I told them sure! Now we have to go finish it. I guess it's another flight for me out west" Gaona laughed.
Game 5 had the dramatics you'd like to see in a deciding game. The Riverhawks jumped out early with a run off of Shuji Kokawa in the 3rd. Kokawa, who went 14-2 in the regular season for Quincy, was helped by his bats in the bottom half when Gaona hit a 2-out single with the bases loaded to give the Firedancers a lead. The lead was short lived however as Kokawa allowed a pair right back giving St. Paul the 3-2 lead.
A Masamichi Kubo triple in the 5th changed that and suddenly Quincy was back on top 4-3 after 5. Kokawa settled in after that, lasting 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and a couple of walks with his team still ahead 4-3. In the bottom of the 8th, Quincy got it going. Feitze AlbersFeitze Albers and Roberto Gil each doubled with 2 on, leading to 3 Quincy runs in the 8th and suddenly the Firedancers were 3 outs away from the title, leading 7-3.
Rather than turn it over to Cisco Crespo who had saved 37 games in the regular season, manager Keith Russell stuck with Fernand Richard who had already pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning in relief of Kokawa. Already with 2 perfect innings under his belt and 3 strikeouts, Richard went back to work and proved Russell a genius. 14 pitches into the 9th inning and 3 fly balls later, Quincy was crowned champs.
"This is way better than any fruit basket" manager Keith Russell commented after the game, a clear jab at his former employers in Chicago. "Coming here and being a part of a well run organization that has a Master Plan on winning from the top all the way down to the bottom is such a blessing to be a part of. What a great season!"
The Firedancers join the Snow Creatures in winning 2 of the 5 minor league titles in 2042 and join the Wild Things as minor league champions over the course of 3 years since Portland's addition to the league.
After dropping game one 8-6, the Firedancers recovered to take game 2 3-1 behind superb pitching by Francisco Franco. Franco allowed just 2 hits over 7.1 shutout innings to claim the win. Quincy dropped game three 7-5 forcing the Firedancers to win back to back games for the title. They did just that.
Albert Gaono and Francisco Cortez led the charge in game 4, tallying 3 hits each to spark a huge rally in the 7th inning. Up 3-0 going to the inning, the Firedancers put up 7 runs in the inning behind a Cortez double. Cortez, who homered earlier in the game said after the game "We're still alive! Game 5, at our place in Quincy. I like our chances."
"It's been a wild couple of days" said Albert Gaona after the game. "The front office contacted me the day after we won in Alpine Valley and asked how willing I was to fly to St. Paul to help Quincy with a title. At first I asked why I'd do it and they said they needed a 1B for the final two games. They were calling Rodrigo Barbosa up to Portland for the final few games to give him a look and asked if I'd fill his spot. They sold me on how cool a story it could possibly be if I were to somehow win two titles in a week for two teams. I told them sure! Now we have to go finish it. I guess it's another flight for me out west" Gaona laughed.
Game 5 had the dramatics you'd like to see in a deciding game. The Riverhawks jumped out early with a run off of Shuji Kokawa in the 3rd. Kokawa, who went 14-2 in the regular season for Quincy, was helped by his bats in the bottom half when Gaona hit a 2-out single with the bases loaded to give the Firedancers a lead. The lead was short lived however as Kokawa allowed a pair right back giving St. Paul the 3-2 lead.
A Masamichi Kubo triple in the 5th changed that and suddenly Quincy was back on top 4-3 after 5. Kokawa settled in after that, lasting 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and a couple of walks with his team still ahead 4-3. In the bottom of the 8th, Quincy got it going. Feitze AlbersFeitze Albers and Roberto Gil each doubled with 2 on, leading to 3 Quincy runs in the 8th and suddenly the Firedancers were 3 outs away from the title, leading 7-3.
Rather than turn it over to Cisco Crespo who had saved 37 games in the regular season, manager Keith Russell stuck with Fernand Richard who had already pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th inning in relief of Kokawa. Already with 2 perfect innings under his belt and 3 strikeouts, Richard went back to work and proved Russell a genius. 14 pitches into the 9th inning and 3 fly balls later, Quincy was crowned champs.
"This is way better than any fruit basket" manager Keith Russell commented after the game, a clear jab at his former employers in Chicago. "Coming here and being a part of a well run organization that has a Master Plan on winning from the top all the way down to the bottom is such a blessing to be a part of. What a great season!"
The Firedancers join the Snow Creatures in winning 2 of the 5 minor league titles in 2042 and join the Wild Things as minor league champions over the course of 3 years since Portland's addition to the league.