National Baseball League

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Red Bluff Red Sox: 1904 Pro Cup Champions (3rd title)
1872 1876 1904

Mike and the Mad Dog – Game 6 Recap (1904 Pro Cup Series)

Mike: Folks, this is why you play all nine innings. This thing was over! Colfax had it! They were up 3-1 going to the bottom of the eighth, Wankegh Hecini was rolling along, and everybody in the park was talking about Game 7.

Mad Dog: That's right! Everybody! The Black Sox are the two-time defending champs, they're down three games to one in the series, they win Game 5, they're leading Game 6, and you're thinkin', "Here we go! Here comes another one of these Colfax miracles!"

Mike: Instead, Red Bluff slams the door on that idea.

Mad Dog: BOOM! Three runs in the eighth inning! Three! And the whole city goes nuts!

Mike: Let's set the stage. Colfax came out swinging. They scored in the first inning, then added two more in the fifth. Xing doubles, Brison drives him home, Badajoz gets another run across. Suddenly it's 3-1 Black Sox.

Mad Dog: And Colfax had opportunities to put this thing away! John Rouse triples in the sixth with nobody out! Nobody out! They don't score him! That's the game right there, Mikey!

Mike: That's a huge turning point. Make it 4-1 and maybe we're talking about a seventh game tomorrow.

Mad Dog: Instead Obara bears down. He gives up nine hits but only three runs, two earned. Every time Colfax threatened, he found a way out.

Mike: Then comes the eighth.

Mad Dog: Oh, the eighth! Colfax fans are gonna have nightmares about the eighth!

Mike: Finley Duff pinch-hits and singles. Greg Sussman singles. Tyler Vasso lays down a bunt and everybody's safe.

Mad Dog: Bases loaded, nobody out! Alarm bells are ringing!

Mike: Then Doug Marquis steps up.

Mad Dog: The hero! The absolute hero!

Mike: Two-run double down the line. Tie game. Fenway explodes.

Mad Dog: And then the killer. The absolute killer. Passed ball! Passed ball! Vasso scores! Red Bluff takes the lead without even putting another ball in play.

Mike: From 3-1 Colfax to 4-3 Red Bluff in a matter of minutes.

Mad Dog: Championship baseball is cruel, Mike. One inning. One passed ball. One bad break. That's all it takes.

Mike: Kujapa Uddin comes on for the ninth, retires the side, and that's it.

Mad Dog: Ballgame. Series. Parade.

The End of Colfax's Dynasty
Mike: And let's talk about Colfax. They were trying to do something historic here.
Mad Dog: Three straight Pro Cups already in the trophy case—1902, 1903—and they almost forced a Game 7 after falling behind three games to one.

Mike: They fought. Xing was outstanding. Brison was terrific. Hecini gave them eight strong innings.

Mad Dog: No shame losing this series. None. They got beat by a better club.

Red Bluff's Long Wait Ends
Mike: And what a story for Red Bluff.
Mad Dog: Think about this, Mike. Their championships were 1872... 1876... and now 1904!

Mike: Twenty-eight years.

Mad Dog: Twenty-eight years! Some fans probably thought they'd never see another title.

Mike: This is the franchise's third Pro Cup championship, and the first for an entire new generation of Red Bluff supporters.

Mad Dog: That's why those celebrations are gonna go on all winter. They weren't just winning a title. They were ending decades of waiting.

The Series MVP Discussion
Mike: Obara gets the win in the clincher and finishes 4-1 this postseason.
Mad Dog: Terrific. Absolutely terrific.

Mike: But Doug Marquis deserves a lot of attention too. The game-tying double in the eighth, then the rally that brought home the winning run.

Mad Dog: Biggest hit in Red Bluff baseball in nearly thirty years!

Final Word
Mike: The Red Bluff Red Sox are champions again. Their first title since 1876.
Mad Dog: Down goes the dynasty! Colfax was one inning away from forcing Game 7 and keeping the dream alive, but Red Bluff ripped it away with that eighth-inning rally.

Mike: Final score: Red Bluff 4, Colfax 3.

Mad Dog: Red Bluff Red Sox—1904 Pro Cup Champions. Third title in franchise history. 1872. 1876. 1904.

Mike: And after twenty-eight years, the trophy is finally heading back to Red Bluff.

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Colfax
7th RU pennant - 1897 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905.
3 Pro Cups - 1897 1902 1903

Red Bluff
7th TU pennant - 1871 1872 1873 1876 1903 1904 1905.
3 Pro Cups - 1872 1876 1904

Harry Doyle, IPA on the Radio — 1905 Season Recap
"Well folks, pull up a chair, grab a cold beverage, and let's take a look at one of the wildest pennant races that wasn't actually a pennant race in Islandian Pro Alliance history!"

"Because while there were some terrific teams all over the map, the story of 1905 was simple: Colfax and Red Bluff have turned the IPA into their own private heavyweight championship fight."

Ruthlandian Union
"Let's start in the Ruthlandian Union, where the Colfax Black Sox didn't just win the pennant—they steamrolled the competition."
Colfax: 128-34

"One hundred and twenty-eight wins! Holy cow! That's a .790 winning percentage. They finished eight games ahead of a 120-win Valka club! Think about that for a second. Most years 120 wins gets you a parade. This year it got you second place."

"The Black Sox have now captured their seventh Ruthlandian Union pennant, and more impressively, their sixth straight. That's a dynasty, folks. The pennants keep piling up: 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, and now 1905."

"Valka was fantastic at 120-42. Marston won 105 games. Ranford won 99. In another era those clubs would be celebrating. Instead they're all watching Colfax head back to the Pro Cup."

"The bottom half? Well, let's just say the Hartford Yard Goats finished 47-115 and spent most of the season looking up at everybody. At least they weren't alone—Cold Creek, Valmara, and Montreal all had rough summers as well."

Tycobbian Union
"And then there's the Tycobbian Union, where somehow things were even crazier."
Red Bluff: 131-31

"One hundred and thirty-one wins! Are you kidding me?!"

"The Red Bluff Red Sox posted a .809 winning percentage and won their third consecutive pennant. They're headed back to the Pro Cup for the third straight year, and they're doing it after one of the greatest regular seasons the IPA has ever seen."

"The scary part? They almost had company."

"The Kenwood Wildcats won 124 games and still finished seven games back! That's like climbing a mountain and discovering somebody else built a house on the summit."

"New Yerby had a strong second season at 106-56. Blue Lake hung around above .500. Midway finished respectably at 80-82. Everyone else? Long year."

The Rubber Match
"And now, folks, the matchup everybody wanted."
Colfax vs. Red Bluff.

Again.

"For the third consecutive season."

"Colfax won the first meeting in 1903."

"Red Bluff got sweet revenge in 1904."

"And now we get the rubber match."

"You couldn't script it any better."

Legacy on the Line
"Think about what's at stake here."
Colfax Black Sox

7th RU pennant
6 straight pennants
3 Pro Cup championships (1897, 1902, 1903)
Red Bluff Red Sox
7th TU pennant
3 straight pennants
3 Pro Cup championships (1872, 1876, 1904)
"If Colfax wins, they capture championship number four and further cement themselves as the dominant franchise of the new century."
"If Red Bluff wins, they repeat as champions and tie Kenwood with four Pro Cups apiece."

"Folks, these aren't just the two best teams in 1905. These are the two best organizations in the sport right now."

Final Doyle Thought
"You know what amazes me? Between them, Colfax and Red Bluff won 259 games.
Two hundred and fifty-nine!

That's an average of nearly 130 wins per team."

"So here we are. The Black Sox. The Red Sox. One championship. One deciding chapter."

"Three straight years. One win each."

"Now somebody's gonna settle it."

"Juuust a bit outside? Not this year, folks. This one is right over the heart of the plate. Bring on the 1905 Pro Cup!" ⚾��

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Harry Doyle Recaps Game 1 of the 1905 Pro Cup

"Folks, if this series is going to be seven games of this, cancel your plans now."

"Game 1 of the rubber match between the Colfax Black Sox and Red Bluff Red Sox looked like a classic pitchers' duel, turned into a defensive disaster, and ended with a walk-off double that shook Fenway Park."

"Final score: Red Bluff 2, Colfax 1."

A Fast Start... And Then Nothing
"Colfax wasted absolutely no time."
"Juan Diaz singled to start the ballgame, Thiago Incio reached on a fielder's choice, Chris Brison lined a single, and before Red Bluff fans had settled into their seats the Black Sox had a 1-0 lead in the first inning."

"And then?"

"Nothing."

"Absolutely nothing."

"Maximino Obara slammed the door and threw away the key."

Obara and Shan Put On a Clinic
"Let's talk about the two aces."
"Xing-peng Shan: 8⅔ innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 5 strikeouts."

"Maximino Obara: 9 innings, 7 hits, 1 run, no walks, 6 strikeouts."

"These two were trading zeroes like poker chips."

"Every inning felt like it might decide the game."

"Shan was brilliant."

"Obara was just a little bit better."

Colfax Keeps Missing Chances
"The Black Sox had opportunities."
"Juan Diaz doubled in the fifth."

"Runners got on in the seventh."

"Andrey Rezontov singled as a pinch hitter in the ninth."

"But every time they threatened, something went wrong."

"Diaz got caught stealing."

"Rezontov got caught stealing."

"Six different Colfax hitters managed hits, but they never found the knockout punch."

"You leave a team like Red Bluff hanging around, eventually they're going to bite you."

The Eighth-Inning Break
"And that's exactly what happened."
"With one out in the eighth, pinch-hitter Chang Teoh singled."

"Then another pinch-hitter, Finley Duff, ripped a single."

"Then came the play that changed the game."

"Right fielder John Rouse threw wildly, the ball got away, and Teoh came all the way around to score."

"Just like that, a game that had been 1-0 for seven innings was tied."

"Officially? An error."

"In reality? A gift."

The Walk-Off
"Still, Shan got out of the eighth tied."
"He came back for the ninth."

"Two quick outs."

"The crowd was getting ready for extra innings."

"Then reserve outfielder Robin Scott, who had entered as part of a series of late substitutions, punched a single."

"Now the winning run was aboard."

"Up stepped San-gui Ting."

"Ting already had one hit earlier in the game."

"He got a 1-2 pitch from Shan and drilled it into the gap."

"Scott never stopped running."

"No throw."

"Ballgame."

"Red Bluff wins."

"Fenway Park erupts."

Player of the Game
"Give the hardware to Maximino Obara."
"Nine complete innings."

"One run."

"No walks."

"Complete control from the second inning on."

"When your offense gives you only two runs, that's exactly the kind of performance you need."

Harry's Final Thought
"You know what's scary for Colfax?"
"They got the start they wanted."

"They got an ace performance from Shan."

"They led for seven and a half innings."

"And they still lost."

"The Black Sox were two outs away from stealing home-field advantage."

"Instead, the Red Sox are now three wins from another championship."

"Game 1 goes to Red Bluff."

"And folks, if this is any indication, the 1905 Pro Cup might come down to whichever team blinks first."

"Juuuuust a bit outside? Nope. San-gui Ting put that one right where Colfax couldn't get it, and the Red Sox walk it off, 2-1!" ⚾🏆

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Harry Doyle Recaps Game 2 of the 1905 Pro Cup
"Folks, I don't know what the Colfax Black Sox did to annoy Maximino Obara, but whatever it was, they ought to apologize before Game 3."
"Because for the second straight day, Obara marched out to the mound, looked at the most dominant team in the Ruthlandian Union, and basically said, 'Good luck.'"
"Final score from Fenway Park: Red Bluff 4, Colfax 1."
"And the Red Sox head to Comiskey Park with a commanding 2-0 series lead."
Déjà Vu All Over Again
"If you're a Colfax fan, you've seen this movie before."
"The Black Sox scored in the first inning."
"They got an early lead."
"And then Maximino Obara took the baseball and made sure they never scored again."
"Juan Diaz singled."
"Diaz stole second."
"Thiago Incio ripped a ball that got misplayed in center field."
"Diaz scored."
"Colfax led 1-0."
"At that moment, you probably figured the Black Sox had learned from Game 1."
"Instead, that turned out to be their only run of the afternoon."
Obara Owns the Series
"Let's just appreciate what we're watching."
Game 1: Complete game, 1 run allowed.
Game 2: Complete game, 1 run allowed.
"That's 18 innings."
"Two runs."
"No relief help."
"No drama."
"No panic."
"Just complete control."
"And this time he struck out nine Black Sox hitters."
"Every time Colfax threatened, Obara found another gear."
Shan Gets No Help Again
"Meanwhile, poor Xing-peng Shan has to be wondering what he has to do."
"He pitches another complete game."
"He throws 142 pitches."
"He allows only eight hits."
"And once again he walks off with a loss."
"Two starts."
"Two defeats."
"Not because he pitched badly."
"Because Red Bluff has been just a little bit better in every critical moment."
The Turning Point
"The game was tied at one heading into the fifth."
"Then Red Bluff finally broke through."
"Obara started the inning with a single."
"Tyler Vasso followed with another."
"And with two outs, Greg Sussman delivered the biggest hit of the day."
"A two-run single."
"Just like that, Red Bluff led 3-1."
"And with Obara on the mound, that felt more like 10-1."
Insurance Run
"Just to make sure nobody got any funny ideas in the eighth, Doug Marquis doubled and Vinayak Subramanien brought him home with a clutch two-out single."
"That made it 4-1."
"Game over."
"Stick a fork in it."
Colfax's Missed Opportunities
"The Black Sox actually had seven hits."
"They even put runners in scoring position several times."
"But the big hit never came."
"Boboy Cobrella doubled in the seventh."
"Juan Diaz doubled in the eighth."
"Hai-dong Liu doubled in the ninth."
"Three different innings with chances."
"Three different innings where Obara slammed the door."
"Fourteen men left on base over the first two games."
"That's not how you beat Red Bluff."
Player of the Game
"Again?"
"Again."
"Maximino Obara."
"Nine innings."
"Seven hits."
"One run."
"Nine strikeouts."
"Another complete game masterpiece."
"At this point he's not pitching."
"He's conducting an orchestra."
Harry's Final Thought
"You know what makes this series fascinating?"
"These teams are incredibly close."
"The first game was decided with two outs in the ninth."
"The second game was tied through four innings."
"But every big moment has belonged to Red Bluff."
"Every single one."
"The defending champions now have a 2-0 lead."
"They've won both games at home."
"They've got the best pitcher in the series throwing like a man possessed."
"And Colfax suddenly finds itself in a spot it hasn't been in for years."
"Desperate."
"The Black Sox are heading home needing answers."
"The Red Sox are heading to Comiskey Park needing just two more wins."
"And if Maximino Obara keeps pitching like this, folks, they may only need one more start."
"Juuuuust a bit outside? Not today. Obara was painting the corners all afternoon, and Red Bluff takes Game 2, 4-1!" ⚾🏆

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Harry Doyle Recaps Game 3 of the 1905 Pro Cup Series

"Welcome back, baseball fans! Harry Doyle here from Comiskey Park, where the Colfax Black Sox finally found a pulse in this Pro Cup Series. After dropping the first two games to Red Bluff, Colfax absolutely had to have this one—and thanks to a masterful performance from Xing-peng Shan, they've climbed back into the fight with a 3-1 victory!"

"Folks, Shan was magnificent. Complete game. Four hits. One run. Six strikeouts. One hundred twenty-three pitches. That's not pitching—that's frontier justice. Every time Red Bluff threatened, Shan slammed the door shut."

"The Black Sox wasted no time getting on the board in the first. Juan Diaz reached when Zachery LeVasseur booted a grounder, Thiago Incio followed with a single, and Chris Brison lined another base hit to bring Diaz home. Just like that, Colfax led 1-0."

"In the third inning, Colfax's speed game struck again. Diaz ripped a triple into the gap, and Incio brought him home with a groundout. Then Brison followed with a triple of his own, and suddenly Maximino Obara was looking up at a 2-0 deficit."

"Red Bluff answered in the fourth. Tyler Vasso singled, Greg Sussman doubled, and Doug Marquis chopped a grounder that scored Vasso to cut the lead to 2-1. For a moment, it felt like the Red Sox might seize control again."

"But Colfax came right back in the bottom half. Yuzuru Badajoz doubled, Hai-dong Liu punched a sharp single through the middle, and Badajoz crossed the plate with what turned out to be a huge insurance run."

"And from there? Shan took over."

"Luke Peck doubled in the seventh? Didn't matter."

"Maximino Obara singled in the sixth? Stranded."

"Ninth inning, Red Bluff down to its final three outs? Shan struck out Tyler Vasso looking, got pinch-hitter Chang Teoh on a fly ball, and Doug Marquis lined harmlessly to left. Ballgame!"

"Chris Brison was the offensive star for Colfax, going 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI. Juan Diaz scored twice and added a triple of his own. Hai-dong Liu drove in the final run."

"As for Obara, he pitched well enough to win plenty of games—eight innings, nine hits, three runs, only two earned. But when your counterpart throws a complete-game gem, sometimes you're just shaking hands afterward."

"And here's the big story, folks: the series is no longer a Red Bluff coronation."

"After two games, it looked like the Red Sox were marching toward a sweep. Now? Colfax has life. They've got their ace back on track, they've defended home field, and they've cut the series deficit to 2-1."

"The pressure has officially shifted to Game 4."

"Red Bluff still leads the Series, two games to one. But if Shan's performance reminded us of anything, it's this: the Black Sox aren't dead yet."

"Until tomorrow night, this is Harry Doyle saying, 'You can put it on the booooard... well, not yet. We've still got a series!'" ⚾

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"Hi, everybody! Harry Doyle here from Comiskey Park, where the Red Bluff Red Sox are now one win away from immortality! And if you're a Colfax fan, you might wanna keep the antacid handy."
The 1905 Pro Cup looked like it might be turning into a classic comeback story after Colfax grabbed Game 3. Instead, Game 4 belonged to one man: Maximino Obara.
The Red Bluff ace was absolutely magnificent, tossing a complete-game four-hitter as the Red Sox squeezed out a tense 2-1 victory and grabbed a commanding 3-games-to-1 lead in the series.
Now folks, this wasn't exactly an offensive explosion. This was old-fashioned October baseball: pitching, defense, and every run feeling like it weighed about twenty pounds.
Red Bluff struck first in the third when Tyler Vasso ripped a two-out triple into the gap. Then Colfax starter Xing-peng Shan, who had been brilliant himself, uncorked a wild pitch and Vasso trotted home with the game's first run.
Colfax answered immediately. Juan Diaz launched a triple of his own in the bottom half, and after a passed ball by San-gui Ting, the Black Sox had tied it at one.
But that was where the scoring ended for Colfax.
The decisive run came in the fourth. Doug Marquis walked, Luke Peck singled, and Xue-qin Chen lifted a sacrifice fly to center that brought Marquis home with what turned out to be the winning run.
From there?
Obara slammed the door.
Every time Colfax threatened, something went wrong.
A double play in the sixth.
A double play in the eighth.
Only three runners left on base all afternoon.
And in the ninth, with the season hanging by a thread, Colfax went quietly: groundout, flyout, strikeout.
Ballgame.
"Strike three! He struck him out! And the Red Bluff Red Sox are one win away from the Pro Cup!"
Now let's not overlook Shan. The poor guy pitched another gem and got almost no help. Nine innings, seven hits, two runs, six strikeouts. In most years that's a winning performance. In this series? It's another heartbreaking loss. Shan is now 1-3 despite an ERA barely above two.
Meanwhile Obara has become the story of October. He's now 3-1 in the Pro Cup, carrying a microscopic 1.03 ERA, and has completely neutralized one of the league's best offenses.
And here's the reality facing Colfax:
They trail 3-1.
And tomorrow they have to beat the defending champions just to stay alive.
The Red Sox can practically see the trophy.
The Black Sox are running out of road.
"We'll see you tomorrow for Game 5. Can Colfax extend the series, or are the Red Bluff Red Sox about to capture back-to-back Pro Cups? For now, this is Harry Doyle saying..."
"The Red Sox are one win away, and the champagne is already getting cold." ����

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"Hello again, everybody! Harry Doyle here from Comiskey Park, where the champagne remains on ice! The Red Bluff Red Sox came in looking to wrap up the 1905 Pro Cup, but the Colfax Black Sox had other ideas, scratching and clawing their way to a 3-1 victory to keep this series alive!"
"How about Xing-peng Shan? Folks, this guy simply refused to let the season end. Nine innings, eight hits, one run, no walks, and complete control from start to finish. That's back-to-back masterpieces after his tough-luck loss in Game 4. When Colfax needed their ace, Shan delivered."
"For six innings, this game moved along faster than a train through the prairie. Shan and Maximino Obara traded zeroes all afternoon. Obara was outstanding himself, scattering five hits and keeping Colfax frustrated despite some shaky defense behind him."
"And that's where this game turned."
"Bottom of the seventh, scoreless tie. Rodolphe Curti draws a walk, steals second, and suddenly the Black Sox have something brewing. Hai-dong Liu works another walk. Matthew Curtis reaches on a fielder's choice. Then Shan himself punches a ground ball through the infield. Vinayak Subramanien misplays it in center, Curti scores, Curtis races all the way to third, and Comiskey Park comes alive!"
"Then came the dagger."
"Alex Hernandez, inserted after a pinch-hit appearance earlier in the game, lines a single into center. Curtis scores. Shan motors home behind him. Two runs cross the plate, and just like that a scoreless duel becomes a 3-0 Colfax lead."
"Folks, that seventh inning was vintage championship desperation. The Black Sox managed only two hits in the frame, but they combined patience, speed, and Red Bluff mistakes to manufacture three enormous runs."
"Meanwhile, Red Bluff had their chances. Tyler Vasso doubled to open the game but was thrown out at home trying to score on a sacrifice fly. In the sixth inning the Red Sox loaded up with three hits but couldn't break through. Every time Shan bent, he never broke."
"The Red Sox finally got on the board in the eighth when pinch-hitter Chang Teoh delivered a clutch RBI single to score Subramanien. For a moment you could feel some tension in the crowd."
"But Shan slammed the door."
"One-two-three in the ninth? Not quite, but close enough. Doug Marquis singled with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate. Shan stayed calm, got Luke Peck to pop up, then induced a game-ending fielder's choice from Xue-qin Chen."
"Ballgame over!"
"Colfax wins it 3-1 and the Pro Cup Series suddenly has a pulse!"
"Now here's the fascinating part. Red Bluff still leads the series three games to two. They're heading home to Fenway Park with two chances to claim their second championship in as many years. But Colfax has won two of the last three games, Shan looks locked in, and the Black Sox are beginning to believe."
"Remember, folks, just yesterday everyone was preparing the coronation. Today? We've got ourselves a Series."
"For the first time all week, the pressure shifts to Red Bluff."
"Game 6 coming up at Fenway Park. The Red Sox are one win away from glory. The Black Sox are one win away from forcing a winner-take-all Game 7."
"Can Colfax finish the comeback? Or will Red Bluff finally put them away? Stay tuned!"
"Harry Doyle saying so long, everybody! And if the Black Sox keep this up, we may need to reserve this booth for another couple of days!" ⚾🏆

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"Hello again, friends! Harry Doyle here from Fenway Park, where the champagne was on ice, the banners were ready, and somebody forgot to tell the Colfax Black Sox they were supposed to lose!"
The 1905 Pro Cup looked finished after three innings.
Red Bluff led 3-0.
They had Maximino Obara on the mound.
They were one win away from the championship.
And then everything changed in one breathtaking sixth inning.
For five innings, Obara was carving up the Black Sox lineup like a holiday roast. Colfax had managed only a single hit and looked completely overmatched. Meanwhile, Red Bluff struck first when Tyler Vasso tripled in the opening inning and scored on Doug Marquis' groundout. Then in the third, Vasso, Obara, and Greg Sussman teamed up for two more runs, with Sussman's booming two-run double making it 3-0 Red Sox.
At that point, Fenway Park was buzzing. The Red Sox could practically see the trophy.
Then came the top of the sixth.
Andrey Rezontov may have delivered the biggest swing in Colfax history.
The inning began innocently enough. Bing-de Kui scratched out an infield hit. Juan Diaz lined a single. Thiago Incio brought home the first run on a fielder's choice. Chris Brison worked a walk.
Suddenly the bases were loaded.
Managerial genius—or desperation, depending on your point of view—brought Rezontov off the bench.
One swing later, the entire series flipped upside down.
Rezontov launched a screaming triple into right field, clearing the bases and turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 Colfax lead. Before Red Bluff could recover, John Rouse followed with an RBI double, and the Black Sox had scored five runs on four hits in a stunning rally.
Just like that:
Red Bluff 3. Colfax 0.
became
Colfax 5. Red Bluff 3.
And then Xing-peng Shan slammed the door.
What Shan has done the last two games borders on legendary.
After throwing a complete-game victory in Game 5 to keep the Black Sox alive, the left-hander came right back and threw another complete game in Game 6. Nine innings. Eight hits. Three runs. Four strikeouts. One hundred thirty-six pitches.
Most importantly, after the third inning he gave Red Bluff absolutely nothing.
The Red Sox threatened in the sixth when Xue-qin Chen tripled with one out, but Shan stranded him. They never seriously threatened again.
In fact, one of the biggest plays of the afternoon came in the seventh when Shan and catcher Hai-dong Liu caught Tyler Vasso in a rundown after a pickoff move. Vasso had three hits and was the hottest bat in the Red Bluff lineup, and suddenly he was erased from the bases.
From there, Shan cruised.
One out in the ninth.
Two outs in the ninth.
Then Chang Teoh singled and tried to stretch it into a double. Desperation got the better of him.
Out at second.
Ballgame.
Series tied.
"Holy cow!"
A couple days ago, Colfax was staring at a 3-1 series deficit. One more loss and the Black Sox would have been remembered as another great team that came up short.
Now they've won back-to-back elimination games behind the iron arm of Xing-peng Shan and forced the first Game 7 of the new century.
And what a Game 7 it's going to be.
The Red Bluff Red Sox still have home field.
They still have the deeper lineup.
But momentum? Momentum is wearing black and white.
Tomorrow, one game decides everything.
One game for immortality.
One game for the 1905 Pro Cup.
"This is Harry Doyle saying so long, everybody... and if you've got plans for tomorrow, cancel 'em. We've got a Game 7!" ⚾🏆

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Colfax Black Sox: 1905 Pro Cup Champions (4th title)
1897 1902 1903 1905

Harry Doyle Recaps Game 7 of the 1905 Pro Cup
"Folks, if you just tuned in, go back and watch the last five hours of baseball. If you can't do that, I'll save you the trouble: it was absolute madness!"
The Colfax Black Sox are the 1905 Pro Cup Champions, defeating the Red Bluff Red Sox 3-2 in a 16-inning Game 7 classic that may go down as one of the greatest championship games the Islandian Pro Alliance has ever seen.
For fifteen innings, this thing felt like it was being played on a tightrope.
Red Bluff grabbed a 2-1 lead thanks to Greg Sussman's pair of triples and looked poised to capture the city's first championship. But in the ninth inning, with their backs against the wall, Colfax scratched out the tying run on Roman Sakiyaev's sacrifice fly.
And then? Nobody blinked.
Nobody scored.
Nobody cracked.
For seven more innings.
The star of the day was undoubtedly Wankegh Hecini, who delivered one of the most heroic performances in Pro Cup history. Sixteen innings. Thirteen hits. Two runs. Nine strikeouts. Two hundred twenty-one pitches.
Two hundred twenty-one!
I've seen complete games. I've seen doubleheaders. I've seen pitchers throw until their arm looked like cooked spaghetti. But Hecini just kept taking the ball and saying, "Give me another inning."
Meanwhile Red Bluff's Maximino Obara was magnificent himself, striking out twelve over ten innings. Manny Contreras followed with four scoreless frames. But eventually somebody had to crack.
That somebody was Red Bluff in the sixteenth.
Dagobert Alexander drew a walk, moved to second, and with two outs Hai-dong Liu lined a single into left, scoring the go-ahead run and silencing Fenway Park.
And then Hecini came back out for the bottom of the sixteenth.
Of course he did.
Three batters later, it was over.
Strikeout.
Strikeout.
Groundout.
Ballgame.
Championship.
Pandemonium in Colfax.
And here's the historical significance, folks:
Colfax has now won four Pro Cups—1897, 1902, 1903, and now 1905.
That ties the legendary Kenwood Wildcats for the most championships in IPA history.
Think about where Colfax was less than a decade ago. Before 1897 they had never won a title. Now they've built a dynasty. Four championships in nine seasons. Three titles in four years. They're no longer chasing history.
They are history.
The Black Sox entered this century as contenders.
They leave 1905 as co-holders of the greatest championship record the league has ever seen.
And somewhere tonight in Kenwood, they're probably looking over their shoulder.
Because the Black Sox are coming for that record all by themselves.
"This is Harry Doyle reminding you that if your ace offers to throw 221 pitches in Game 7, you don't ask questions—you hand him the ball and get out of the way. Good night, everybody!" ⚾🏆

[jg2977]

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[jg2977]

Mike and the Mad Dog React to Game 7 of the 1905 Pro Cup

Mike Francesa:
"Dog, I gotta tell ya right now, this is one of the greatest championship games in IPA history. I mean, what are we tawkin' about here? Game 7. Extra innings. Two great teams. Sixteen innings. And a pitcher throws the entire game! The entire game!"

Mad Dog Russo:
"Mike! Mike! Hold on a second! The guy threw TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE PITCHES! I don't care if it's 1905, 1805, or 1705! Two hundred twenty-one pitches! I mean, that's not a pitching performance, that's an expedition!"

Mike:
"Listen, I'm not saying anybody should do it again. But you know what? It's Game 7. Winner takes the Pro Cup. And Hecini was magnificent."

Dog:
"Magnificent?! Mike, he pitched SIXTEEN INNINGS! The game started in the afternoon and ended sometime around Thanksgiving! The guy retired the last seven batters, struck out the side of Red Bluff's hopes, dreams, and future plans!"

Mike:
"And don't forget, Dog, Red Bluff had chances. They absolutely had chances."

Dog:
"Oh, they had the game! They had it! Ninth inning, up 2-1, Obara's dealing, Fenway's rocking, the parade route is being planned. Then Colfax manufactures the tying run and suddenly everybody's holding their breath."

Mike:
"And then the fifteenth inning."

Dog:
"Oh, don't remind me! Giugino gets to third, Kitunda singles, here comes the winning run—"

Mike:
"—and Chris Brison throws him out at the plate."

Dog:
"THROWS HIM OUT! Mike, if Red Bluff scores there, we're having a completely different show today! Instead, Brison makes one of the biggest defensive plays in Pro Cup history."

Mike:
"That's championship baseball. Everybody remembers the hit. Sometimes the season turns on a throw."

Dog:
"But let's talk about Colfax for a minute. Because this isn't just one championship. This is FOUR."
Mike:
"That's the story."

Dog:
"Exactly! 1897. 1902. 1903. 1905. They've tied Kenwood for the most titles in league history."

Mike:
"And remember where Colfax was before 1897. Good franchise, respected franchise, but no championships."

Dog:
"Now they're a dynasty! Mike, they won three titles in four seasons! Three! That's Yankees stuff. That's Canadiens stuff. That's dynasty territory!"

Mike:
"Nobody in the IPA has been this dominant over a short stretch since the early Kenwood years."

Dog:
"And let's not forget Red Bluff. I feel terrible for those fans."
Mike:
"They have nothing to be ashamed of."

Dog:
"No! They took the defending champs seven games. They nearly won the title. Sussman had two triples. Obara was unbelievable. They lose a sixteen-inning Game 7 by one run."

Mike:
"They announced themselves as a major power."

Dog:
"Absolutely. They aren't going away."

Mike:
"But here's the big question, Dog. When people look back at this era twenty years from now, what are they gonna remember?"
Dog:
"They're gonna remember Hecini."

Mike:
"That's fair."

Dog:
"No, seriously! They'll remember that one afternoon in 1905 when a man threw sixteen innings, 221 pitches, won Game 7, and dragged a championship trophy back to Colfax."

Mike:
"And they'll remember that Colfax caught Kenwood."

Dog:
"That's the other part! The mountain has been climbed. For years it was, 'Can anybody catch Kenwood?' Well now somebody has."

Mike:
"And the scary thing?"

Dog:
"What?"

Mike:
"Colfax isn't finished."

Dog:
"Oh, don't tell the rest of the league that! They've already won four! The last thing everybody needs is another Black Sox dynasty!"

Mike:
"Too late. It might already be here."

Dog:
"Good afternoon everybody! What a Game 7! What a series! What a championship!"