The headline says it all.... "Kings of the Pacific".
For just the second time in Portland's 20-year history, the Lumberjacks are Pacific Division Champions. The club clinched the division against the team that held the throne when the Lumberjacks defeated the Sacramento MadPopes 6-5 Wednesday night in front of the home crowd at the Trail in Multnomah. The 46,000 plus in attendance that night were treated to a great game that saw Alan Uecker's solo homerun in the bottom of the 8th inning break a 5-5 tie and provide the winning margin.
"The stadium was rocking tonight" Uecker stated after the game. "I know we had already clinched a spot in the post-season and it was pretty much a foregone conclusion we were going to win the division at some point. But to be able to do it tonight, against Sacramento, the team that's typically the head of the class in the division, makes it a little more special. We wanted it tonight. The fans wanted it tonight. And fortunately, we got it done for them."
For the Lumberjacks, it is their first division crown since 2050. In that season, the club won 108 games, narrowly edging the same Sacramento squad for the Pacific title. The win Wednesday was the club's 102nd win of the season marking just the second time in the franchise's history that it has reached the century mark in wins.
"I guess the secret to winning Pacific titles is you have to win 100 games" laughed GM Chris Wilson in the locker room after the game holding a bourbon in one hand and a cigar in the other. "If I knew it was as simple as that, I'd just have constructed 100 win teams every season."
Portland now knows a portion of it's post season fate. The team will get a bye for the Geoghegan Series and homefield advantage in the Doubleday round that follows. The Wild Card teams in the Frick aren't set as of yet. Portland will play the winner of the top wild card team and the final team to claim a spot. If things ended now, that would mean a Doubleday matchup between either Twin Cities or Bikini awaits the Lumberjacks. But Sacramento can still claim the top wild card spot depending on how the rest of the season plays out and Des Moines and Valencia are trying to stay in touch with Bikini for the fourth and final wild card spot. The Stars have captured 3 of the first 4 games versus Portland to keep themselves in the hunt.
