The El Paso Chihuahuas will host the Fresno Grizzlies at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday in the first game of a best-of-five Pacific Coast League playoff series.
One more time, the Boys of Summer soared and sent El Paso's baseball season into September.
The El Paso Chihuahuas will host the Fresno Grizzlies at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in the first two games of a best-of-five Pacific Coast League playoff series.
This September baseball has become almost commonplace for Chihuahua fans. Their Boys of Summer have won the Pacific Coast League Pacific Southern Division title four straight seasons.
The Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, will host these first two games. The Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, will host games three, four and five — if the final two games are necessary.
Chihuahua fans are ready and excited.
"I will be there behind home plate — as always," said Brenda Yeager, a Chihuahua season ticket holder for all five seasons now. "I plan on being there for four more playoff games — these two, and, after we win this series, the next two.
"I've been there for all the playoff games," Yeager said. "I'm not about to miss the playoffs. I love it. I just love it. I love baseball, I love keeping score, I love watching our players go up to the Major Leagues. I don't love it when they get sent back down, but I still support them all the way."
The Chihuahuas have won their fourth-straight PCL Pacific Southern Division title and they are chasing their third straight PCL Pacific Conference championship. The Pacific Coast League is a 16-team affair, divided into two eight-team conferences. If the Chihuahuas defeat Fresno, they will play the winner of the Northern Conference for the Pacific Coast League Championship.
El Paso won the Pacific Coast League championship in 2016 and came within one game last year of winning a second-straight PCL title, losing to Memphis in the final game of that series.
"Sure, I think about it," said Rod Barajas, the Chihuahua manager for the past three years. "You love to compete. I'm walking around the house sometimes and I think about it. One game. One game and we could have been back-to-back PCL champions."
This, though, is a new year and a new opportunity. It is an opportunity to win more championships and it is an opportunity for El Paso's fans to see more high level baseball.
Unfortunately for one season ticket holder, that will not be possible.
"I'm in the hospital and I'm going to miss the two playoff games," said five-year season ticket holder Barbara Foley. "They have to win this playoff series so I can get out and see them play in the next series.
"I've already told Bronswell (Patrick, Chihuahua pitching coach) why I won't be there," Foley said. "I told Dusty Coleman (Chihuahua infielder and a fan favorite) I wanted to tell him goodbye in person. So, they will have to win. I just hate missing these games so much."
This Chihuahua team has done something none of the previous four teams has managed. They have won a club record 82 games. Their previous best was 78 in 2015.
And how close is this series expected to be? El Paso and Fresno finished this marathon that is a baseball season with identical records, 82-57. The two were only a half game behind Memphis at 83-57 for the best record in the entire 16-team Pacific Coast League.
The Chihuahuas were only three games over the .500 mark in June and then turned torrid. They went 23-6 in the month of August, won eight of their final 10 series and split the other two.
The Chihuahuas started slowly and, for some odd reason, played poorly at home. They were 19-31 in the friendly and supportive confines of Southwest University Park. But they won 17 in a row at home and finished with a 37-33 home record. They were a very good 45-24 on the road.
"For ardent baseball fans, sure, this is an exciting time," said Chihuahua vice president and general manager Brad Taylor. "But any minor league team will tell you the hardest ticket to sell is a playoff game. It's not on the pocket card with 70 regular season games.
"Fortunately, we've had a couple of weeks to advertise this," Taylor said. "And fortunately, we've got great fans. We plan on our El Paso fans doing what they've always done and that is support this team.
"This Chihuahua team has played amazing baseball — no matter who has been in the lineup," Taylor said. "We've lost players who were called up to the Padres and the guys from San Antonio have come up and played great. It speaks well of the Padre farm system that we made the playoffs, San Antonio made the playoffs in Double-A and Fort Wayne lost out on the final day in the Class A Midwest League."
The Chihuahuas have had standouts like second baseman Luis Urias, outfielders Franmil Reyes and Travis Jankowski, and starting pitcher Brett Kennedy (who was 10-0) called up to the Major Leagues.
And they have continued to win.
"We have had guys who have fought, who have competed," Barajas said. "Even after we clinched last week. No one is just going through the motions. We are in a good place going into the playoffs and it's exciting.
"Our goal here is to develop Major League players," Barajas said. "But we also want to produce a winning-type player. We're happy that we've produced Major League players and we are still winning baseball games. We've had so many guys going and coming. We've had guys on Major League rehab assignments who might not be at their sharpest. But, to the guys here, it doesn't matter. They just go win baseball games."
The Chihuahuas know they are in for an intense duel with a very good Fresno club. Fresno won the season series 9-7, but many of those games were played in the first half, before the Chihuahuas turned scorching white hot.
"Fresno is a good club," Barajas said. "That's a team that's got power, that has speed, that has had solid pitching all season. I can see these games being low scoring and I can see them being high scoring.
"But if we continue to compete the way we have over the last month, it's hard to see us losing a series to any team," he said.
It all begins Wednesday night.
El Pasoans have shown their passion in their beautiful ballpark, causing some players to call playoff games at Southwest University Park almost like a Major League atmosphere.
Breaking into a smile, Barajas said, "We had a game recently when it was in the top of the eighth and our fans were on their feet the whole time. We've got knowledgeable fans. They show up, they are boisterous and they bring a lot of energy to our team and they affect the visiting team."
The fun, the playoffs, the September baseball will step center stage Wednesday and Thursday night. And maybe more.
"They say two playoff games but I'm counting on four," said Yeager.
And Foley said, "They've got to come back next week so I can see them again."
The Boys of Summer do that. They reach in, touch the soul and bring September passion to the summer game, to that wonderful old game of baseball.