2008 Championship Retrospective
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brad Tillery
( 517) 485-4500 ext. 233

 

Five years later, championship still fresh for fans

LANSING, Mich. – 7-0. The numbers say it all. Five years ago, the Lansing Lugnuts celebrated their second championship in the most perfect way possible, by sweeping their way through the Midwest League playoffs. Seven games, seven wins.

This run to the title was a far cry from 1997 when the Lugnuts were forced to play two elimination games, including a winner take all finale against Kane County. But in 2003, the Lugnuts steamrolled their way to the top by taking out South Bend, Battle Creek, and Beloit in just over a week.

"That team had a lot of winning personalities on it," said former Lugnuts broadcaster Jim Tocco. "In my previous experiences, a lot of players just want to go home at the end of a long season. But I had more than one player come up to me and say 'We aren't losing in the playoffs.'"

And it is his perspective on that season that might be the most interesting as he was the only person to see every game in 2003 without suiting up to take the field.

"There were so many different and unusual things that happened that year," he continued, "but I don't think that anyone outside of the clubhouse thought that they would take the title. There was no reason to believe the overwhelming confidence that the players had going into the playoffs because they weren't even the best team in the second half."

A look at the numbers back him up. The Lugnuts were a pedestrian 69-66 during the regular season, stumbling to a 31-39 finish in the second half. Their second half swoon featured a 9-21 mark in July, which surprisingly was the club's only losing month all season.

It was a year that included an Easter Sunday game for the record books. On April 20, Donnie Hood hit for the cycle, the Lugnuts won via shutout 15-0, scored 10 runs in the seventh inning, and tossed a no-hitter. By all accounts, those occurences had never happened before in the history of the game.

It was a year that also saw a game in Cedar Rapids where players were forced to double as umpires.

And it was a year that had a team hovering around .500 winning it all.

The Lugnut roster looked very different in 2003 than it does today. First, the Lugnuts were then an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Names like Felix Pie, Buck Coats, Sean Marshall, and Ryan O'Malley took the field long before the majors came calling. The ending to that season was not one that anyone could have predicted.

"The guys were really pumped," said Lugnuts Booster Club member Marcia Bullard, "and although they didn't have the superstars of the league, they really believed they would take it all."

They took that confidence into the post-season, whipping their way through the Eastern Division in less than a week. The final obstacle would be the Beloit Snappers, a team comprised of future Major League stars. Not surprisingly, the series was extremely tight.

Game one found the Lugnuts down 5-0 after three innings. Lansing hurler Anderson Tavarez was tapped for seven hits over that span, but his bullpen was able to buckle down after the rough start in order to keep Lansing in the series opener. The Lugnuts battled back with five runs of their own over the next three frames to tie the game at Oldsmobile Park heading into the seventh.

It was then that Beloit's Tony Gwynn Jr. doubled to left, bringing up the widely feared Prince Fielder. His single to center pushed the Snappers back ahead, but Lansing again fought back with a run in the eighth to send the game to extra innings. And it was in the 10th where the Lugnuts finally prevailed as Brian Dopirak's RBI plated Felix Pie for the 7-6 victory.

That game was a sign of things to come over the next two days. The following night, the Lugnuts nearly blew a 3-0 lead to the Snappers. Trailing by two runs with one out in the ninth, Beloit's Mario Mendez singled home Jeff Eure to pull his team within a run. Yet Lansing's Jason Wylie calmly induced Chas Terni to ground into a game-ending double play that put the hosts up two games to none.

The series shifted to Pohlman Field the next evening with the Lugnuts needing just one victory to claim the title. Game three turned out to be another tight affair as the two teams were deadlocked at 2-2 heading into the eighth. Pie drew a one out walk and moved to third base on a Buck Coats single in order to bring up Paul O'Toole. The right fielder lifted a ball into left, and as the ball flew, Pie got ready to tag up and score. He was safe at home, giving the Lugs a 3-2 advantage. However Pie was ruled out on appeal for leaving early (some still say he was safe) and the game remained tied.

Beloit had a chance to push the series to a fourth a game in the ninth inning after loading the bases with one out. O'Malley was on the bump for Lansing, and waiting for him at the plate was Gwynn. O'Malley forced him into a fielder's choice, eliminating the runner at home to put two away in the inning. But the threat was far from over as the daunting Fielder strolled to the plate. Once again the Lugnut southpaw rose to the occassion by fanning Fielder and pushing the game into extra innings for the second time in the series. And it was in the 10th when the Lugnuts rallied for two runs, sealing the game and the franchise's second championship.

"I remember listening to that game," Bullard said. "I remember being so conflicted because I wanted to be there and celebrate, but I was also so excited about winning. That team will always be special to me."

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