2016 Angels Sweep A’s for 25+ AL Championship in Redwood Empire (CA)

Redwood Empire 25+ AL Division

Angels 19, A’s 1

‘Samarron and Coleman Co-MVP’s’

Submitted by Jimmy Wells, Angels manager

We had a great regular season going 17-4, at the same time losing a few key players in weeks two and five. Nevertheless we kept our heads in it and stayed focused. We were ranked #1 going into the playoffs and were matched up to play the #4 Astros. Don’t let the #4 fool you because these guys are tough, scrappy gamers that can put up runs in every inning if given the opportunity. The first game of three we just flat out could not hit the ball and ended up dropping the game 13-3. With our backs to the wall we had to dig deep.

That Sunday we were prepared for a long day, as it was 100 degrees in Sonoma so energy was being drained by the second. We paid them back with the win of game two with an almost identical score of 13-4. So here goes the do or die game three with both teams just limping at this point with no energy. The game was a continuous battle. We drew first blood going up 1-0 in the first inning then they returned with a run of their own locking it at one run apiece. We ran into an inning that produced a few errors and they took advantage of it by scoring three and we found ourselves in a very uncomfortable situation being down 3-5 going into the ninth. Cut to the baseball God’s.

John Purkey came up with a HUGE double scoring a run and put himself in scoring position representing the tying run. Then with two outs and runners on first and second Pat Coleman stepped to the plate and on a 2-strike count crushed one over the left field fence for the walk off win! This was an indescribable moment for us and now we had a full head of steam to face our long rivals theA’s in the Championship series!

With great timing, Johnny Samarron had a career series in the Championships by pitching seven innings with eight strikeouts and only two earned runs. He also went 5 for 8 at the plate with a triple, two doubles and five runs batted in. He was hands down our MVP. Game one was intense but we prevailed 9-4. Game two was commanded by one of our youngsters pitching a gem and we ended up exploding with a 19-1 season wrap up and the championship.

I am so proud of my guys and the season we all worked so hard for. These guys made managing so easy and really made this season one to remember. Now on to repeat!