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BA Championship - New York Gothams (ABC) vs Salt Lake City Bees (NBC)
The Bees came to New York full of confidence. In Game 1, that showed; by the fourth inning, they were up 4-0 on the Circuit champions. But it was the way the Gothams closed the game, despite a 5-4 loss, that shook up the rest of the series.
Working against ace Doug Simpson, Edgardo Medellin doubled to open the bottom of the ninth. Jack Crockett then singled; after Clarence Jones grounded back to the pitcher, Matt Boyer's triple scored both runners. He scored on the next pitch to Lou Bennett, as the ball went clear to the backstop. Simpson was able to finish the Gothams off, but the damage was done. These Gothams could hang with the vaunted Bees.
The Gothams tied the series on a 4-3, 11-inning win, which saw Gothams' pitcher Alex Cameron distribute ten hits and five walks in his complete-game effort. The New York outfit then laid up a convincing 10-0 result in Salt Lake City, scoring all of their runs after the fifth inning. Four SLC errors contributed mightily to the closing score, though Jim Ladd only needed one run.
Another 4-3 extra-inning result gave the Gothams a 3-1 lead. The Bees gave their fans some relief with a sloppy 6-0 victory (seven errors between the two teams) in Game 5, shifting the series back to New York.
This appears to be what the Gothams wanted.
New York, down 4-2 going into the bottom of the eighth, unloaded off Mark West yet again. This time, a seven in the eighth frame , on the strength of key hits and Medellin's grand slam, secured the first-ever BA Championship for the Gothams. The team counted out in the final weeks of the season stunned the Bees, and hoisted the BA Cup for the first time.
Game 1: Bees 5, Gothams 4
Game 2: Gothams 4, Bees 3 (11)
Game 3: Gothams 10, Bees 0
Game 4: Gothams 4, Bees 3 (12)
Game 5: Bees 6, Gothams 0
Game 6: Gothams 9, Bees 4
New York Wins 4-2
Playoff MVP: Jim Ladd, NY Gothams: 4-0, 36 IP, 32 H, 14 K, 6 BB, 1.25 ERA
Best-Ever Chances: The loss took the Bees out of the discussion. The Gothams, meanwhile, needed a one-game playoff to avoid an epic collapse. Needless to say, the chances of one of these teams being included in the discussion, even in a top-ten listing, is next-to-nil.
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