St. Paul Saints, Marching On

The keys to success for St. Paul were shutdown pitching and clutch offense. On the mound. Kramer Sneed continued to lead the way for the Saints earning his American Association record tying 15th victory in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Railcats. Robert Coe also continued his roll of stellar starts, winning twice during the stand.

A victory Friday night in the series finale versus Gary showed us something we haven't seen all year: a walk-off win. The Saints won the game 8-7 when Vinny DiFazio scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. They then decided it was so much fun, why not do it again Sunday? This time they bested the Jackals 3-2 on an Anthony Phillips single to center.

Simply put, there was a "playoff atmosphere" inside CHS Field for the walk-off wins. During the ninth inning of both games, everyone was standing and cheering for almost every pitch. Even the players were getting in to it, waving to the fans to cheer louder. Man, I can't wait for the first home playoff game. It's going to be electric.

My MVP for the stand is Ryan Cavan. The newly acquired second baseman hit .375 with three doubles, four runs scored, and two home runs for the stand.

To go along with Sneed's record for victories a few other franchise marks were set this homestand as well. Alonzo Harris swiped his 39th base of the year Monday. Also, Vinny DiFazio and Angelo Songco tied for the most RBIs in a season at 82.

When record-breaking seasons happen, awards always seem to follow, and this year is no different. To start, catcher Vinny DiFazio and first baseman Angelo Songco were both named postseason All-Stars after their great seasons at the plate. Songco finished the year batting .339 with 64 R, 17 HR and 82 RBI. DiFazio hit .361, with 70 R, 17 HR and 82 RBI.

Vinny DiFazio also took home the league's top award of the season, being named the 2015 American Association Player of the Year. Vinny led the league in batting average, tied for third in home runs and tied for the lead in RBI. A near Triple Crown - wow. Great season Vinny!

Reliever Mike Zouzalik was named Rookie of the Year after going 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA. He also recorded three saves and had 49 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched while holding his opponents to a .140 batting average for the year.

But it's not only the players that can set records in St. Paul this year. For the first time the Saints passed 400,000 in season attendance, setting a new franchise record with 404,528 fans visiting the Field in 2015. That bested the previous mark by more than 105,000.

After a well-deserved day off Tuesday the Saints headed to Sioux City for the first two games of their series with the Explorers. The final three games will be played at CHS Field.

You might be asking yourself, why do the top two teams in the league play each other in the first round? It's all about geography in the American Association. The other matchup is between the Wichita Wingnuts and the Laredo Lemurs. So while we don't get a championship round match-up between the two best teams record wise, we at least get to see them play each other.

The opening game of the playoffs was just what you'd expect, a nail-biter of a contest till the last out. Kramer Sneed tossed a complete game with a career high 15 strikeouts. Angelo Songco went 2-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. But in the end it wasn't enough as the Saints lost the game 3-2 to the Explorers.

The second game is one the Saints need to forget on the bus ride back to St. Paul. The lost 12-1, managing just one hit, a solo home run by Angelo Songco in the 2nd inning. Tossing 7.2 innings for Sioux City was Patrick Johnson, the 2015 American Association Pitcher of the Year.

Even with our home team down 0-2 in the series I can't wait for the first playoff game at CHS Field this Saturday. The boys have played great at home and I know the fans are going to do their best to cheer them on to three straight victories.

There are still tickets left, the weather's going to be perfect, and it's playoff baseball. What are you waiting for? Get to CHS Field Saturday night and let's show them all what home field advantage really means!

Go Saints!!!

TRAIN!