Brandon Moss preserved a tie by throwing out a runner at home plate to end the top of the ninth and capped his remarkable evening in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the 10th, when he hit a walk-off homer to lift the Sea Dogs to a 4-3 win over Trenton at Hadlock Field and a three games to one series victory over the favored Thunder in the EL Northern Division Championship.
“I’ve said it multiple times tonight that it couldn’t have happened to a better teammate and a better person,” Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus said by phone late Saturday. “He’s just awesome and he cares about his teammates, he cares about winning and he cares about his career.”
“It’s one of the top three baseball moments of my life, definitely,” Moss said. “That’s huge. It felt great.”
Moss’ homer set off a raucous celebration by the relieved Sea Dogs, who came back from an early 3-0 deficit to avoid an all-night bus trip to Trenton for Game Five tonight. Instead, the Sea Dogs—who did not clinch a playoff spot until the regular season finale Monday—get two valuable days off to set up their optimal rotation before beginning the EL Championship Series against the less-rested Southern Division Championship Series winner. Akron and Altoona play a decisive Game Five tonight.
The Sea Dogs lost to Akron in four games in last year’s EL Championship Series.
“It’s just relief—absolute relief,” Claus said. “I think we’re all exhausted. Having an extra day of rest going into the postseason [the Northern Division Series didn’t start until Wednesday], I just think our guys understand what that [additional] day is going to do for us.
“We knew that we had to take care of business tonight, because it was going to be a long bus trip and it would have been very difficult to win a ballgame down there in Trenton.”
Said Moss: “You don’t wan to go down there and play the fifth game. For one, they have home-field advantage. Two, they’re in their element. Three, it’s tough to see the ball in Trenton for a hitter. You definitely don’t want to play Game Five at their place.”
Playing as a decided underdog would have been nothing new for the Sea Dogs, who finished the regular season eight games behind the Thunder. Trenton led the EL in ERA during the regular season, finished second in runs scored and supplemented its playoff lineup with big league all-star outfielder Hideki Matsui, who joined the Thunder on a rehab assignment.
But the Sea Dogs won the final three games of the series and took the clincher in familiarly resourceful fashion. “On paper, I think lots of people said we had no business winning this series, but I think it was just a testament to the character and the desire of a lot of great teammates,” Claus said. “They’re the most unselfish group that I’ve ever been around.”
Minor league veteran Frank Brooks became the latest Portland pitcher to outshine a more highly touted Trenton hurler when he survived a 90-minute rain delay and a three-run second inning by the Thunder to last six innings (three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five). Trenton’s Matt DeSalvo did not return after the rain delay.
“You’re going to protect your young arms and DeSalvo is on the 40-man roster; he’s a young arm,” Claus said. “It was unfortunate that that happened. As soon as it started raining, Frank Brooks came into my office and said ‘Skip, I want the ball no matter what.’ You’re talking about a 28-year-old veteran who has been around professional baseball for some time. And he knows his body and his knows his arm. He’s got a resilient arm. We had an hour-and-a-half rain delay and I don’t think he sat down the entire time.
The Sea Dogs scratched their way back from the 3-0 deficit with single runs in the second (Brian Myrow’s homer), fourth (Myrow’s RBI single) and eighth (Luis Jimenez’ RBI double) to tie it. A trio of Sea Dogs relievers combined to throw shutout ball over the final three innings as the bullpen lowered its series ERA to 2.13 (three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings), but it took a gem in the field by Moss to maintain the 3-3 tie in the top of the ninth.
With two outs and a runner on second, Randy Ruiz singled through a drawn-in infield. Moss charged the ball and made a perfect one-hop strike to catcher Dustin Brown, who held on as he tagged J.T. Stotts.
“I think at that moment we felt like we were going to win the game,” Claus said.
The Sea Dogs stranded two runners in the bottom of the ninth, but Barry Hertzler retired the Thunder in order in the 10th before Moss crushed a 3-and-0 pitch and sent it beyond the right field fence. “Total jubilation,” Claus said. “Just watching him run around the bases with a big smile on his face and toss his helmet before he got to the plate. And obviously, you can imagine the celebration at home plate and what happened on the field.
“And again, it couldn’t happen to a better teammate.”
Moss, a 22-year-old whom the Sox drafted out of high school in 2002, became the Sox’ top position prospect after he hit .353 with 15 homers and 111 RBI between Single-A Augusta and Sarasota in 2004. He hit .268 with 16 homers and 61 RBI at Portland last season, but while eight other members of the 2005 Sea Dogs played for the Sox this year, the Sox kept Moss at Double-A all season even though he ended up hitting for a better average (.285) and ranked first in the EL in doubles (36) and second in RBI (83).
“I had a good year in Double-A last year, but not as good a year I wanted to,” said Moss, who played in all but 13 of the Sea Dogs' 281 regular season games the last two years. “This year, they wanted me to come back and improve on being consistent. I definitely did that and just to be able to cap it off like this showed me that I’ve really developed as a hitter and that I’m ready to take that next step.”
And now, thanks to Moss, so are the Sea Dogs.
Diehard managing editor Jerry Beach can be reached at diehardmag@yahoo.com. To receive a free issue of Diehard, call 888-979-0979.
EASTERN LEAGUE NORTHERN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland vs. Trenton
(Portland wins series, 3-1)
Game One (Wednesday): Trenton 3, PORTLAND 1 (WP: Manning; LP: Hansack)
Game Two (Thursday): PORTLAND 10, Trenton 3 (WP: Hottovy; LP: Clippard)
Game Three (Friday): PORTLAND 5, Trenton 4 (WP: Dobies; LP: Childers)
Game Four (Saturday): PORTLAND 4, Trenton 3 (WP: Hertzler; LP: Patterson)
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