River Cats Claim Triple-A Championship
Published on September 16, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Sacramento River Cats News Release
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The Sacramento River Cats defeated the International League-Champion Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, 4-1, on Tuesday night at the Bricktown Showdown at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City to claim their second consecutive Triple-A championship title. The win came just two days after the Cats defeated Oklahoma in the same ballpark for the Pacific Coast League crown. The team has now reached the pinnacle of Minor League Baseball four times in the past six seasons, a modern Triple-A record.
Right-handed pitcher Chris Gissell was honored with the presentation of the Bobby Murcer MVP Award after the game, named for the late Yankee great and Oklahoma native who passed away on July 12th. Gissell threw 3.0 shutout innings and struck out four to earn the victory. Gissell, who followed Sacramento starter Brad Knox, was one of six River Cats pitchers to appear in the game, nearly all of them effective.
The Cats got off to a fast start in the game in the first inning when PCL Playoff Co-MVP Chris Denorfia doubled to left field, later scoring on an RBI single by Wes Bankston. Brooks Conrad followed with and RBI single of his own and Casey Rogowski added an RBI ground-out, staking Sacramento to an early 3-0 lead. The team would never look back, scoring again in the 6th before relinquishing their only run of the night on a 7th inning RBI single.
The game, the first-ever match up between the River Cats and the top minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees, was televised internationally on ESPN2.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 16, 2008
- River Cats Claim Triple-A Championship - Sacramento River Cats
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