[luckymann]

The final month of the 1953 regular season begins with the last game of our series at Missoula, which we win 5-1 behind a strong effort by Jake Hargis that evens his record at 7 and 7. Drake Brown hits two dingers and Jake Holmberg one.

Roster expansion means we bolster our squad with catcher Jonathan Secor, 3B Jimmy Poland, outfielder Nate Hale and pitcher Blake Palmer. I’m happy with our group as is, so the Trade Deadline passes without activity.

Next up is a homestand against Helena. We take the first game 6-3 as Matt Withers goes yard twice, including a 3-run 8th inning number that proves the difference. We get out of jail the next night as the pen implodes to give up 4 runs in the 9th and we need to score 3 of our own just to send it into spares. Then we win it in the 10th on a Mike McCarthy single, his 4th hit of the game. Both a red-hot Matt Withers and Chris Macon mash a pair of taters. We’re not so lucky the following day when we lose 2-1 in 10 and Bozeman wins to cut our lead to 1. Billings, on a 7-game win streak, haven’t gone anywhere and are still just 4 back and ready to punce if we our Bozeman slip up.

Which makes our trip to Bozeman all that more critical. We make a real statement with an 11-3 mauling of them in the first game, as Withers cranks another round-tripper and Johnny Hernandez has one as well and knocks in 3. But we undo all our good work in the next game when we give up a 6-3 lead late and lose 7-6. We get our own back in the decider, however, with a 5-4 win in which we score all our runs in a high-octane 8th that sees Withers again rise to the occasion with a slam. We’re two up on the Trailblazers again and the Mustangs have fallen off the pace a bit after being swept at Missoula, now 6 GB.

We host the Electrics next, one of those series you should win, which makes them harder to or so it seems. We get the 8-4 W in game one but then put in a shocker the next day, managing just 2 hits in a 7-1 loss. Thankfully Bozeman also loses so we stay 2 ahead with our magic number down to 12. An 8-2 win the next night steadies the nerves a bit, especially as Bozeman drops their game with Billings. Chris Macon hits his 30th dinger.

12 to play, 3 ahead, # 10, as we head to Billings.

The series starts well with a 6-1 win as Shawn Mason is fantastic, three-hitting them over 8+ scoreless. A Trailblazers loss stretches our lead to 4 and drops our MN to 8. Our 16-8 win the next game is tougher than it looks as it was 8-8 heading into the 7th before we ran away with it. Matty Kendall has a feast with half a dozen ribs (sauce optional). They outgun us 8-4 to take the third, but again we are spared any damage in the standings as Bozeman loses as well.

9 to play, 4 up, # 6. Missoula is next but my mind seems to only want to focus on the final series of the season – yep, you guessed it: Bozeman – and that is a dangerous thing. I give myself an uppercut and snap back to the task at hand. The easiest way to do that is to remind myself how much more enjoyable that final series will be if we’ve already clinched. I do that, but give myself another uppercut—you can never be too sure of these things, especially with my stoopid brain.

In the first game, a win earlier in the day by Bozeman increases the pressure and our performance reflects that. We trail by 2 after 7 but post a run in both the 8th and 9th to send it into spares. The Bucks score a run in the top 11th, but we respond mightily, walking it off 8-7 on a Dan Foote single. Macon is superb yet again, knocking out 2 dingers including the 9th inning game-tier. The next night is a much more controlled and comfortable affair for us as Macon goes yard again and Matty Withers bangs out a pair as well in a 9-3 win that keeps us 4 ahead and gives Jake Hargis his 10th victory. We do it tough again in the final game with another walkoff win, with Withers delivering the clutch hit this time to get us home 4-3. A win by the same scoreline by Bozeman means our magic number is 3 with 6 to play.

Our penultimate series is away at Helena.

Macon seems to have found yet another level, one few players attain, as he single-handedly carries us in a tough 5-3 win in the opener. Two more homers take his total to 35, along with 105 ribbies and a league-leading .354 BA, and it comes as no surprise when he garners the PotW award. Bozeman loses to Missoula and all of a sudden our # is down to 1.

Despite my urging the lads to make sure of it with a win, we end up clinching via the back door when both ourselves and Bozeman drop our games the next day. Still, this has been an amazing feat coming from last to first and I couldn’t be prouder of the lads for the effort they have put in this season. They celebrate with an 11-0 cakewalk to round out the series as Steve Miller hurls a 9-hit shutout and Johnny Hernandez mashes two taters and drives in 6. What a pick-up he’s been for us down the stretch with 7 HR and 24 RBI in just 22 games. Makes me look pretty smart to boot, just how I like it.

And, if you were wondering, yes I sure do find that final series against Bozeman far more enjoyable with nothing riding on it. We get a 6-5 win in the opener, walk it off 3-2 on a Hernandez single in the middle game, and finish off the season in style with a 5-2 victory behind a strong outing by Sotelo.

Which makes the final standings look like we did it far more easily than was the case, finishing 9 games clear of both Bozeman and Billings with a 66-39 record. In an outstanding response to the pressure-cooker of a pennant race, the group went 17-5 in June.

Macon’s .351 average wins him his first batting title, while he finishes third in homers with 36 and second in ribsters with 106. He also leads the league with 97 runs, 77 walks, a 208 OPS+ and a 7.74 WPA, and his 8.0 WAR is a full 2 points clear of second. I see no chance of him not winning the MVP for a third time. But he was far from alone, as Matty Withers (.259 / 28 HR / 87 RBI) and Kyle Grubb (.258 / 25 HR / 62 RBI) were also instrumental in us getting the title, with many others playing their part. Our pitching was solid as a rock, with our starters laying the table and the rotation packing it away. Scott Cutrer deserves special mention for his 1.99 ERA over 68 innings, as well as 15 saves, which was the second-highest in the league.

So here we go – off to the Lincoln Cup and I reckon this bunch will give it a mighty shake.