C’s return to Northwest supremacy
After bottoming out last season, Canadians defeat Eugene Emeralds in low-scoring series
It was Logan Warmoth’s turn to play hero. And Norberto Obeso, too. The Vancouver Canadians’ playoff run, which has seen various players take starring roles, came to an end Tuesday night at Nat Bailey Stadium, as the Toronto Blue Jays short-season single-A farm club beat the Eugene Emeralds 2-1 to win the best-of-five Northwest League title in four games.
It’s the C’s first league banner since they won their third in a row in 2013. Vancouver beat the Boise Hawks that year. The Hawks were a Chicago Cubs affiliate at the time; the Emeralds have had a working agreement with the Cubs since 2015.
Four of Vancouver’s five wins in these playoffs were by a 2-1 score line.
Warmoth, the No. 22 overall pick in June’s amateur draft by the Blue Jays out of the University of North Carolina, punched a single the other way to right field to plate a pair with two outs in the fifth inning and gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead. It was one of just two hits that Vancouver recorded on the night. In the top of the frame, Obeso, a free-agent signing by the Blue Jays out of Hermosillo, Mexico, threw out Jose Gonzalez at the plate on a single to left field by Zach Davis, keeping the score 1-0 in the Emeralds’ favour.
The Emeralds, the reigning league champions, had scored in the fourth when Michael Cruz pulled a home run to right field off Vancouver reliever Zach Logue. Cruz, Eugene’s designated hitter, was the first batter that Logue faced.
The announced crowd of 5,288 got louder as the tense game went on, and reached ear-splitting decibels when Vancouver right-fielder Chavez Young somersaulted over the fence in foul ground to grab a Jhonny Bethencourt foul pop-up for the second out in the ninth.
C’s manager Rich Miller started Orlando Pascual on the mound in the frame. He got the first two outs and Miller surprisingly went to the bullpen, this time to William Ouellette. Ouellette had induced Eugene’s Will Remillard to pop out to first base on one pitch in Vancouver’s 2-1 win in Game 3 Monday. This time, Ouellette struck out Remillard. Starting pitcher Justin Dillon, followed by Logue, Brayden Bouchey, Pascual and Ouellette, combined to strike out 16 Emeralds.
Vancouver designated hitter Brock Lundquist had a solo home run in Monday’s victory. He hit .385 in the series. Bouchey had three shutout innings out of the bullpen in Vancouver’s 7-5 Game 1 win.
Outfielder Brandon Polizzi had a couple of sterling catches in these playoffs. Ace hurler Nate Pearson struck out 10 in four innings in the first round against the Spokane Indians.
Vancouver, which qualified for the post-season via winning the North Division first-half pennant, had the league’s best combined record, at 43-33. The Emeralds had the fourthbest combined mark, at 39-37. The Hillsboro Hops won both halves in the South Division; Eugene made the playoffs thanks to having the next-best combined mark and then swept Hillsboro in the best-of-three first round.
Vancouver went a combined 29-45 last season, which not only left them in the Northwest League cellar, but was the worst-ever record since the C’s joined the league in 2000.