Passion, Pitching and Precision Elevate Majors Past Jackfish in Extras
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Mason Dawdy
The road to the CBL Championship officially began Friday night, and the London Majors wasted little time making their presence felt. With the Welland Jackfish coming to town for Game 1 of the semifinals, London had an opportunity to set the tone for the best-of-seven series right from the start. In front of a packed crowd at Labatt Memorial Park, the Majors delivered in an extra-inning thriller, taking the opening game by a score of 6-5 and grabbing an early 1-0 series lead.
From the moment the first pitch was thrown, Game 1 had everything you could ask for in a playoff game. The momentum shifted back and forth, with neither team willing to give an inch as the game continued to tighten. Every big hit, defensive play and pitching change seemed to carry more weight, giving fans at Labatt Memorial Park an early glimpse of just how intense this series could become.
The Jackfish got things rolling early as they entered the game with five hitters batting above .320, and that combination of contact and power was on full display in the early innings. After each squad went scoreless in the first, Robert Mullen stepped up to the plate in the top of the second and crushed a two-run bomb to deep left field, giving the Jackfish a 2-0 lead.
Victor Payano got the nod for London and was solid through his five innings of work.
Victor Payano’s Final Line Against Welland:
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
Welland would then add another run in the top of the third when Ethan Mann lined an RBI double to left field, scoring Jonah Weisner and extending the Jackfish lead to 3-0. The Jackfish sent 30-year-old Abdiel Saldana to the mound, and he was cruising through the first two innings, but ran into some problems in the bottom frame of the third.
Jordan Lewis was the first to get the ball rolling as he lined an RBI double to left field, scoring Jarrett Burney and getting London on the board. Lewis entered the affair 8-for-20 (.400) over his last five contests and continues to provide the Majors' offence with a consistent spark in the leadoff spot.
Maikol Escotto turned that offensive spark into a flame when he came up with a two-run single to centre field, plating two and tying Game 1 at 3-3 after three innings. London added another run in the bottom of the fourth when Starling Joseph took advantage of some sloppy Jackfish defence and scored on a wild pitch, giving London a 4-3 lead after four innings.
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
If anyone thought that was the momentum shift in this ballgame, then buckle up, because in Game 1, that was just the starting point. As the game moved into the fifth, the intensity continued to build, with both teams fighting to gain control.
Welland responded in the top of the fifth when Ethan Mann came up big again, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Gianfranco Morello to tie the contest at 4-4 after five innings.
Zach Laird was the first arm out of the London bullpen, as he opened the top of the sixth with two consecutive strikeouts before issuing three straight walks. Dustin Davidson then entered the game with the bases loaded, two outs and Daiki Abe at the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, Abe lined a ball to Maikol Escotto, but with Abe’s speed, there was no chance of throwing him out as the Jackfish took the lead back, 5-4.
Abdiel Saldana was then pulled in the bottom of the sixth, finishing with five and a third innings, allowing eight hits and five runs, two of them earned, while striking out four. The Majors knocked him out when Trent Lenihan hustled out a fielder’s choice, scoring David Draayers and knotting this heavyweight matchup once again at 5-5 after six innings.
From this point on, there was a heavy dose of elite pitching. Caleb Cassie was the third arm out of the Majors bullpen and was phenomenal over his two innings of work.
Caleb Cassie’s Dominance Against Jackfish:
(Photo by Mason Dawdy)
Ben Abram was the sole arm out of the Jackfish bullpen and also pitched two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. Abram has been primarily a starter this season, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through nine starts, but as every baseball fan should know, playoff baseball can change things. Key players can be used in a variety of roles when their team needs them most, and Abram was doing exactly that for Welland.
Both squads also went scoreless in the ninth and 10th innings, as Skylar Janisse pitched two innings of relief, displaying some nasty pitches and keeping Welland hitters off-balance. Ben Abram continued his great outing, pitching two more scoreless innings as well.
At this point, the sky was pitch black, sweat was coming from both teams, and everyone was wondering who would come through with a clutch hit. Would it be the Jackfish or the Majors?
Luis Perez took the rubber in the top of the 11th and pitched an impressive inning, recording a strikeout and giving London another opportunity to walk it off. In came the bottom of the 11th, and Starling Joseph started the frame with a single to left before being replaced by Ryder Hancock.
David Draayers then laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, advancing Hancock to second with one out. Then came Jarrett Burney.
Ben Abram was still in the game at this point and continued to look locked in, generating plenty of swing-and-miss with all of his pitches. Unfortunately for Abram, swing-and-miss isn’t something Jarrett Burney does a lot, and Burney certainly made him pay. On a 2-0 pitch, Burney lined a single to right field, scoring Ryder Hancock and securing a 6-5 Game 1 victory over the Welland Jackfish.
Majors Key Performers:
Jarrett Burney: Had the game-winning hit, putting up a great at-bat against a tough arm in Ben Abram and continues to come up clutch when in big spots.
Caleb Cassie: Cassie displayed some nasty stuff in the Majors' extra-inning win. The Jackfish offence didn’t generate a thing against him, as Cassie punched out 5.
Skylar Janisse: Janisse pitched two innings and was extremely effective in his outing against the tough part of the Welland lineup.
Luis Perez: Pitched a phenomenal scoreless top of the eleventh while recording a strikeout and earned the win.
With the win, the Majors now lead the series 1-0.
Majors Semi-Final Playoff Schedule:
London will hope to carry their momentum into Saturday, Sept. 5, when the Majors visit Welland Stadium to play Game 2 of the semifinals against the Jackfish. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.