Playoff Preview: A Comeback to Remember
Published on August 27, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
To say that the Threshers' first-half comeback was improbable is an understatement.
On June 16, Clearwater fell below .500 after suffering a 5-2 loss to the St. Lucie Mets at Bright House Field. Their elimination number in the first half FSL North race was down to one.
As Dylan Cozens grounded out to first to end the game in Clearwater at 10:02 p.m., the Daytona Tortugas had added a run in the ninth inning at Fort Myers to take a 4-2 lead.
Daytona had led the Florida State League North since April 19. The Tortugas were now just three outs away from claiming the first half title.
The first two men to bat for the Fort Myers Miracle in the ninth were retired by El'Hajj Muhammad, before Tanner Vavra was hit by a pitch. After an error and a walk, the Miracle had loaded the bases without the aid of a hit, and Muhammad then walked Alex Swim to push home a run.
Daytona went to the bullpen. Alejandro Chacin came on and induced a comebacker to the hill off the bat of Marcus Knecht for what should have ended the game and clinched the division.
Instead, Chacin spiked the ball to first. Two runs raced home on the error, and thus began the Tortugas collapse.
Still, Clearwater was five games out with just five left to play.
A Threshers loss, or a Tortugas win, in any of the final five games meant the Tortugas would clinch the division. A rainout or any sort of cancellation would hand the division to Daytona.
After Clearwater walked off with a 4-3, 11-inning victory on an Aaron Brown game-winning blast the next day, Daytona had another shot to clinch as the Tortugas took a 4-0 lead on Fort Myers. Yet again, the Miracle rallied back to win.
If the odds weren't already great enough, the Threshers added to the drama in the final game before the All-Star break.
St. Lucie plated five runs in the second inning, and tacked on two more in the third. Clearwater faced a 7-0 deficit in what would likely spell the end of the comeback story.
What figured to be in the end was instead, perhaps, the highlight.
Down 7-0 in the fourth, the bats began to show some life when the first three men reached on a hit by pitch, single, and RBI double. With one out, Angelo Mora singled. Then Drew Stankiewicz singled. Carlos Tocci walked to load the bases, and the Mets called upon reliever Rob Whalen to replace Logan Taylor on the hill.
Suddenly, the Threshers had the tying run at the plate.
Cue Andrew Pullin.
On a 1-0 pitch, Pullin rocketed a shot out to the berm in right field for a grand slam, erasing the seven-run deficit to give the Threshers new life.
Clearwater went on to win 9-8 on yet another walk-off hit from Brown. This time, he chopped an RBI single over the drawn-in infield to score Cozens with the winner.
The Threshers' improbable rally, combined with another Daytona loss, meant the FSL North first half title would indeed come down to the final series of the half, as Clearwater hosted Daytona for three games at Bright House Field.
"We really started talking about it probably six weeks (before that)," manager Greg Legg said of forcing a decisive final series of the half.
"After every series we'd review the series and talk about, 'If we can make these last three games meaningful, it'd be nice. It'd be fun'.
"And after the last series versus St. Lucie we talked...we said 'Let's enjoy this moment, relish it, get used to it, have some fun playing in this series,'" Legg said. "Hopefully we can build on this the rest of their careers where they're always playing in that environment."
Following a three-day layoff due to the All Star break, the Threshers topped the Tortugas 4-3 in the opener, thanks to a strong debut by righty Ricardo Pinto. In his first start in High-A ball, Pinto held Daytona to two runs in 6.1 innings.
Tuesday's game was suspended due to rain after just two frames, forcing a virtual doubleheader on the final day of the half to determine the champion.
After yet another delay on Wednesday, Clearwater pulled out the win in a tight one. The Threshers wiped away a 2-1 deficit in the fourth and broke a four-all tie in the sixth to win 6-4.
That set up one final, winner-take-all, seven-inning contest in the series finale.
Colin Kleven, in the midst of a breakout season with the Threshers, got the ball in that high-pressure contest, and rose to the occasion.
With his fastball touching 97 mph on a scorching Wednesday afternoon, Kleven struck out six consecutive batters at one point, and held Daytona to one run in 5.2 innings.
Clearwater clung to a 3-2 lead in the seventh as Daytona placed the tying run in scoring position with just one out. Ulises Joaquin battled his way through an eight-pitch at-bat to strike out Joe Hudson.
In stepped pinch hitter Jon Matthews. On a 1-2 pitch, Joaquin got Matthews to ground out to Mora at shortstop to lock down the Threshers' first playoff berth in eight years, as Joaquin tossed his glove in elation and the Threshers rushed the field to celebrate.
A five-game deficit with five games left. A seven-run comeback. A Tortugas collapse.
The Threshers are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Clearwater will host games two of the FSL North Championship series on Wednesday, September 9 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, September 10, if necessary.
Tickets are on sale now at the Threshers Box Office or by calling 727-467-4457.
Florida State League Stories from August 27, 2015
- D-Jays Grounded in Opener by Flying Tigers - Dunedin Blue Jays
- Tortugas Struggle Under Pressure in 6-3 Loss - Daytona Tortugas
- Miracle Set Attendance Record, Edge Marauders 3-2 on Thursday - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Cardinals Win Wild Game over Mets, 8-6 - St. Lucie Mets
- Marauders' Tying Run Thrown out at Home in Ninth - Bradenton Marauders
- Thursday's Manatees-Threshers Game Postponed - Brevard County Manatees
- Dunedin Blue Jays to Kick Off the College Football Season - Dunedin Blue Jays
- Final 2015 Marauders Homestand Starts Sunday - Bradenton Marauders
- Clearwater Threshers Fan Appreciation Weekend and Playoffs - Clearwater Threshers
- Playoff Preview: A Comeback to Remember - Clearwater Threshers
- Fan Appreciation Night September 5th - Tampa Yankees
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
