Bo Bonds with that Saturday night Championship Series aura 🔥 Game 4 of the Northwest League Finals is headed to extras after the @BlueJays prospect gets out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam for the @vancanadians:
Vancouver Canadians dropped in Championship Series with walk-off loss
Sep 15, 2024, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 15, 2024, 18:29 EDT
It wasn’t meant to be.
The Vancouver Canadians played in their third consecutive Northwest League Championship Series this week. Thanks to a 3-2 loss on Saturday, they once again fell short for the second time in three seasons.
In Game 4, the Canadians jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, as Brennan Orf doubled in Jackson Hornung. However, Spokane quickly tied the game at one, as Charlie Condon hit a single that drove in Dyan Jorge, with the game remaining 1-1 until extra innings.
There were chances for Spokane to take the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, the first three Spokane batters reached off Bo Bonds, but he was able to generate a fly out and two strikeouts to strand the bases loaded.
In extra innings, Vancouver took the lead as Orf hit a single, and the runner that started at second base was cashed in by a Jace Bohrofen sacrifice fly. However, Peyton Williams struck out, leaving runners on first and second.
Unfortunately, Spokane was able to score twice in their half of the 10th, walking off the Canadians to win their 14th league title and their ninth Northwest League Championship.
For the first time since 2008, the @spokaneindians are champions of the Northwest League! 🎉 @Rockies prospect Kyle Karros earns the game-winning RBI the hard way as the first full-season ball crown is decided on a walk-off hit by pitch!
In total, the Canadians had six hits. Brennan Orf hit a double and had the only multi-hit day, while Jace Bohrofen, Peyton Williams, Jackson Hornung, and Jay Harry each hit a single. Adrian Pinto walked twice, with Bohrofen and Je’Von Ward picking up the other two walks.
As for their pitching, Grant Rogers had a great start, finishing with a line of 6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. The first reliever out of the bullpen was J.J. Sanchez, who walked a batter in two thirds of an inning. Bo Bonds pitched two innings, allowing two walks and a hit, but striking out three. Geison Urbaez was tagged with the loss, allowing two unearned runs.
In 2022, the Canadians fell in three games to the Eugene Emeralds, all three of which were in close fashion. Thankfully, they won the 2023 Northwest League title, as they defeated the Everett Aquasox in four games.
Similar to 2022, all three of the Canadians’ losses were in close games. In Game 1, they held a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh, before Spokane scored the game-winning run in the top of the ninth to give them a 4-3 win. Game 3 was just as close, as the Canadians led 2-0, but gave up three runs between the fifth and sixth innings to fall 3-2.
Thanks to the six-team division, the Canadians have a solid chance of making next season’s Northwest League Final once again. They’ll have the majority of the 2024 draft picks start the season there. Moreover, Arjun Nimmala could very well start the season with the Canadians.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.
Breaking News
- It’s not urgent, but the Blue Jays should consider signing Trey Yesavage to a contract extension this offseason
- Addison Barger credits Blue Jays’ success to creating winning culture: ‘They’re teaching how to win’
- Blue Jays announce Spring Training schedule
- Blue Jays offseason targets: 4 big-name free agents worth pursuing
- Where do the Blue Jays find their next Max Scherzer?