For the very first time in the history of the Fresno Grizzlies, and the City of Fresno, California, their Triple-A baseball team brought home the PCL Championship. Luckily enough I was there to capture the entire game from first pitch to celebrations.
After falling behind 2-1 in the series, Fresno rallied to win the last two games at Chukchansi Park to capture the teams first ever PCL Championship against a very good opponent in the Round Rock Express.
At first it looked like Round Rock might give them a run for their money, as they were able to bring in an immediate RBI in the first inning to set the tone. That however wouldn’t last long as Tyler White, who had been hit the night before, would crush a two-run homer to the left field bleachers, giving Fresno a lead they would never relinquish.
The Grizzlies would tack on two more runs to extend their lead 4-1 thanks to Tony Kemp RBI’s in the 2nd and 4th innings. Round Rock however wouldn’t go quietly, as they took a tired Mark Appel deep to center field in the top of the 6th inning, cutting Fresno’s lead to just one run.
That however would be the last time Round Rock would see the scoreboard, as dominant relief pitching would consistently shut them down.
Fresno on the other hand would not be finished, as they’d add three more runs in the bottom of the 7th thanks to an Alex Presley solo shot, and two-run RBI double by Robbie Grossman. Not only did the Grizzlies offense suck any life the Express had left in them, but the pitching would shut down all of their best players until the final out.
After Tony Kemp received his Playoff MVP award, and Tony DeFrancesco his award, the Grizzlies would celebrated for a few minutes with the fans, followed by an intense party which included roughly 100+ bottles of beer and champagne being thrown over the locker room within 10 minutes.
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