They are the Champions, They are the Champions

Burlington was named the Midwest League Champions because they led South Bend in the best-of-five Championship Series 2-0 and Game Three was rained out two days in a row. I'll let Mark Haley take it from there.

"I feel like I've been punched in the mouth twice and can't swing back,'' said South Bend manager Mark Haley, who, at the same time, realizes there are other things to be considered.

"This is a development league and Saturday was the last scheduled day of the playoffs,'' said Haley. "Seven of our players have flights today heading for the Instructional League.''

Continued heavy rains and standing water in the outfield were factors in the decision to cancel the series.

"We needed a couple of days and sun and wind, and there was none of that in the forecast,'' added Haley, completing his fourth season as South Bend manager.

"The players are disappointed. They feel like they were embarrassed in the smallest park in the league and now they have no chance for redemption where they felt like they would have had home-field advantage in the largest park in the league.''

Here is the Burlington perspective.

The Bees were christened Midwest League Champions earlier in the day without playing a decisive third game in the best-of-5 league championship. After rain wiped out Saturday's game against South Bend with no foreseeable end to the rain, the decision was made to cancel the rest of the series.

"I have no regrets," said Bees' general manager Chuck Brockett, who arrived from South Bend, Ind., shortly before his team. "To be quite honest, we won our first two games in convincing fashion. I have tears coming to my eyes."

Some of the crowd waited about two hours at the stadium for the Bees' arrival and were fully aware the team would receive a Burlington Police escort into town. Every ambulance siren within earshot piqued the interest of younger fans just a bit too early.

Then, there's this:

Bees player Nick Francis said he was thrilled to take home the championship, even though he was hoping a little more baseball would be required to do it.

"At first I was kind of disappointed, because we wanted to play," he said. "But everybody went crazy after we found out."

Asked if he planned on bringing back another championship next season, Francis had only one reply.

"Hell, yeah!"

You know what this reminds me of?

On May 19, 1981, the AWA awarded it's World Title to [Nick] Bockwinkel, who was the #1 contender, after [Verne] Gagne retired from wrestling...infuriating AWA fans once again.
...
Bockwinkle, who was now without Heenan, had been out of the AWA World Title picture for nearly 2 years when the veteran (and now, miraculously, loved by the fans) Bockwinkel was scheduled to meet (and defeat) then-AWA champion Stan Hansen. When told he would be losing the title that night, Hansen walked out of the Denver arena with the AWA title belt (and immediately defended it in Japan, until he was legally forced to stop) on June 28, 1986. Still, the AWA World Championship (minus the belt) was awarded to Bockwinkel that night.

Not perfect, but somewhat similar.

All kidding aside...Congratulations to the Burlington Bees.

Well, that was anti-climactic

Anti-climactic, thy name is the Midwest League Championship Series....

Bees declared Midwest League champs
Heavy rains force cancellation of final three games of series

Game 3 originally was scheduled for Friday as the series shifted to South Bend's Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium. But with various instructional and fall leagues approaching and no foreseeable end in sight to the rainfall, the decision was made to cancel the rest of the Finals.

Midwest League bylaws stipulate that in the event of inclement weather, the president may change the title series from five games to three.

This is the second time that the Hawks have reached the Finals only to have the series end early.

On September 10, 2001, the Kane County Cougars won Game One of the Finals in South Bend. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, the rest of the series was canceled and the Cougars were declared Midwest League Champions.

Here is the quick story in The Hawkeye.

Thus, the Bees' season comes to an end after they went from the worst team in the division in the first half to winning the second half by 3 1/2 games.

It was the first Midwest title Burlington has claimed since 1999 and its fourth overall. The Bees are expected to return with a police escort to Community Field between 3 and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Bees and Hawks rained out

Game Three of the Midwest League Championship Series got rained out last night. The Burlington Bees lead the South Bend Silver Hawks 2-0 in the best-of-five series.

They will try again today at 11:00am CDT/12:00pm EDT. Why so early? There is some college football game in South Bend later and the Hawks want to at least have some people at their game.

Nothing in the South Bend Tribune that I could find. The Hawkeye has a brief story about the postponement...w/ this little ray of sunshine:
The teams will attempt to play the game today at noon. Today's forecast, though, calls for an 80-90 percent chance of rain all day.
They do have a story on the man behind the plate for the Bees.

Catcher Ryan Eigsti has been a solid presence for the pitchers all season, and has played a big part in the Bees' success.
...
Eigsti's defense, rapport with the pitchers and knowledge of the game are what make him invaluable.

The Peoria, Ill., native was drafted in the 15th round of the 2007 draft out of Bradley University where started two-plus years behind the plate. During his collegiate career, he was considered the best defensive catcher in the Missouri Valley Conference and some teams just stopped trying to steal against him.

Eigsti has played in 103 of the Bees games this season, throwing out 50 of the 160 runners who have attempted to steal on him. He has been a part of five double plays and has 12 passed balls.

"I don't know where we'd be without him," said Bees manager Brian Rupp. "There's other guys with the big numbers and everything else and a lot of what he does gets overlooked.

"He's been outstanding from day one. He does a great job calling games and works his tail off back there blocking balls. He just does unbelievable job back there."

Game Three is less than three hours away at this point...Maybe. Here is the weather for South Bend.

Bees sting Hawks again (UPDATED)

Burlington wins Game Two of the MWL Championship series 12-0 over South Bend at Community Field.

LINE SCORE FOR GAME TWO:
......R...H...E
SB....0...4...2
BUR..12..16...0

Box score

Just for grins before getting to the stories about the game, here is the line score for the first two games of the MWL Finals:
......R...H...E
SB....0...6...4
BUR..18..24...1

To the game stories.

First, here is the take from the South Bend Tribune:

Same story for Hawks in finals

This got away from the Hawks quickly.

Cristian Beltre, who gave up seven runs in two innings on the way to an 11-0 loss at West Michigan last week, couldn't get out of the first inning this time.

He faced eight batters and gave up six hits, including a solo homer to the first batter he faced, David Lough. Jamar Walton later hit a two-run homer on a 3-0 pitch. In between, there were doubles by Mike Moustakas and Nick Van Stratten.

The Hawkeye's website is down right now. Will add in their stuff later, but here's a link to the blog of beat writer Susan Denk and here's a link to their sports section.

The Hawkeye website wasn't down. It appears to have been a problem with my Firefox browser. Go figure.

Game story
Two down, one to go

"It's obviously the right time of year and everything's just coming together," said Burlington manager Brian Rupp. "I think the guys have a good feel for what's going on and they're just rising to the occasion right now."

"We're on a roll right now and hopefully we can keep it going," catcher Ryan Eigsti said. "We've only got one more to go. Just keep pitching the way we have and hitting the way we have and everything should be good, hopefully."

Blog post*

It was quite a way for the Bees to finish the 2008 season at home. And quite a way for the Bees to head to South Bend, with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.

Keep an eye out tomorrow for a blog on Bees catcher Ryan Eigsti, hopefully to be posted once I reach South Bend.

Which should be any minute now.

*-The title of the post refers to two common sounds played over the music system that you would hear during a game at Community Field. If you hear them over four or eight games, you may just go mad....quite mad actually.

Tonight's scheduled starters:
BUR: Kelvin Herrera
SB: Pat McAnaney
5:30pm CDT

Bees take Game One

The Burlington Bees grabbed the first game of the Midwest League Championship Series with a 6-0 win over the South Bend Silver Hawks last night at Community Field.

Box Score:

Highlights
South Bend:
Ollie Linton double to lead off the game

Burlington:
Mike Moustakas w/ a three run homer in the third
Jamar Taylor w/ a solo homer in the sixth
Johnny Giavotella w/ a solo homer in the seventh
Danny Gutierrez pitched six shutout innings, allowed two hits, and struck out 11.

Game Stories
The Hawkeye:

Off to a flying start

Gutierrez never let South Bend get its feet under it. He struck out more than half the batters he faced (21 total). At one point, Gutierrez fanned six straight, all futilely swinging at air. The only hits against him coming in the first and fifth innings, both lead-off hits.

"He's got unbelievable stuff," said Bees third baseman Mike Moustakas. "He throws the ball hard, spots up with three pitches. It's easy to play defense behind him when he's throwing strikes and he's in the zone. He gets through the game and gets guys out real quick.

From Susan's blog post

“We really want to win the championship,” Gutierrez said. “We’re all pretty much locked in. As a team, chemistry is real good right now.”

The South Bend Tribune sent a writer to Burlington:

Hawks didn't pack the bats

Ollie Linton opened the game with a double off the left field fence and Derrick Walker legged out an infield single in the fifth. Neither was able to advance. Those were the only South Bend hits.

Linton was tagged out trying to go to third on Taylor Harbin's ground ball.

"Ollie was trying to be aggressive and I don't criticize guys for that,'' said South Bend manager Mark Haley. "If we had scored there, it could have put a whole different outlook on the game. They got the big hit, and when you give a guy like Gutierrez a lead like that, it makes it tough.

"We've been battling back from adversity all season. Now we just have to do it again.''

Game Two is tonight in Burlington:

SB: Cristian Beltre (13-8, 3.53 ERA)
BUR: Alex Caldera (12-6, 2.89 ERA)
6:30pm CDT

Quick look at the Championship Series

Burlington is in the MWL Championship Series for the first time since 1999.

South Bend is in the MWL Championship Series for the first time since 2005.

What do they have in common? Both teams beat the Timber Rattlers in their last trip to the Midwest League Finals. Both of those series went to a Game Five in Grand Chute.

The starting pitchers for tonight, according to the South Bend tribune story below: Jarrod Parker (13-5, 3.44 ERA) for South Bend; right-hander Daniel Gutierrez (4-4, 2.70 ERA) for Burlington.

Also, there is a note there that the Bees won the season series from the Silver Hawks 4-2. Burlington was 2-1 at home and 2-1 at the Cove against the Hawks.

One note that I'm going to throw in there: No Western Division team has won a Midwest League title since Peoria in 2002. Lansing won in 2003; West Michigan won in 2004; South Bend in 2005; and West Michigan had won in 2006 and 2007.

Championship Series Schedule
Game One: 9/10 @Burlington 6:30pm CDT
Game Two: 9/11 @Burlington 6:30pm CDT
Game Three: 9/12 @South Bend 5:30pm CDT
*Game Four: 9/13 @South Bend 11:00am CDT
*Game Five: 9/14 @South Bend 12:30pm CDT

*-If necessary

Good luck to both teams.

It's South Bend

The Silver Hawks won Game Two of the Eastern Division Finals to sweep Dayton out of the playoffs.

Final score:

DAY 3
SB 4
Box Score

South Bend Tribune:

One swing of the bat decided Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over Dayton — a three-run homer by Collin Cowgill with two out in the fourth inning.

"I’m so happy for Cowgill," said South Bend manager Mark Haley. “He had 11 home runs in 14 games at Yakima, then didn’t have any in 19 games after joining us. Now he has two in the playoffs."

Cowgill was Arizona’s 2008 fifth-round draft choice from the University of Kentucky.

Dayton Daily News:

Mark Haley, South Bend's manager, took a chance Tuesday, Sept. 9, and it worked. He didn't start Jarrod Parker, his best pitcher.

After all, Dayton had to win. South Bend didn't, and Dayton had its best pitcher, Jeremy Horst, on the mound.

"He's good," Haley said of Horst. "After they got that lead, with him going, I thought we were in trouble."

Eastern Division Finals

Game Two of the Eastern Division Finals as rained out in South Bend last night.

According to this quick capsule in the South Bend Tribune, here are the starting pitchers for tonight.

Probable pitchers: Right-hander Jarrod Parker (13-5,, 2.33 ERA) for South Bend; left-hander Jeremy Horst (8-2, 2.30 ERA) for Dayton

Game time is 5:30pm CDT. If South Bend wins, they are in the finals and head to Burlington to face the Bees. If Dayton wins, Game Three would be on Wednesday night.

Hawks take Game One

Game One in the Eastern Division Finals goes to South Bend. The Silver Hawks won 5-2 at Fifth Third Field in Dayton.

The Dragons grabbed the early lead with single runs in the second and third innings. South Bend answered with solo homers by Ryne White (in the fourth) and Matt Oxendine (in the fifth).

The Hawks broke the tie with three runs in the top of the seventh inning. And it looked pretty messy. I have bolded where the runs were scored.

* Matthew Oxendine flies out to right fielder Denis Phipps.
* Winston Linton singles on a line drive to center fielder Justin Reed.
* With Collin Cowgill batting, Winston Linton steals (1) 2nd base, . Winston Linton advances to 3rd, on throwing error by catcher Devin Mesoraco.
* Collin Cowgill reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by shortstop Zachary Cozart. Winston Linton scores. Collin Cowgill to 2nd on the throw. Missed catch error by pitcher Ruben Medina, assist to shortstop Zachary Cozart to catcher Devin Mesoraco to third baseman Brandon Waring.
* Taylor Harbin singles on a ground ball to right fielder Denis Phipps. Collin Cowgill to 3rd.
* Pitcher Change: Mace Thurman replaces Ruben Medina.
* Ryne White singles on a line drive to right fielder Denis Phipps. Collin Cowgill scores. Taylor Harbin to 3rd.
* Sean Coughlin called out on strikes.
* Derrick Walker walks. Ryne White to 2nd.
* Chance Wheeless walks. Taylor Harbin scores. Ryne White to 3rd. Derrick Walker to 2nd.
* Pitcher Change: Henry Arias replaces Mace Thurman.
* Elijah Rumler strikes out swinging.

Game two is Monday night in South Bend at 5:30pm CDT. The newspaper accounts will be posted in the morning.

Bees keep Buzzing (Corrected)

The Burlington Bees are on to the Midwest League Championship Series. They defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels 2-1 at Community Field earlier today to sweep the Western Division Finals.

I'll have a post with Susan Denk's story from The Hawkeye tomorrow, but here is Matt Pauley's team story.

Cedar Rapids scored the first run of the ballgame in the top of the second inning. The Bees then answered right back and took the lead in the bottom of the inning scoring two runs. Jason Taylor led the inning off with a single and then stole second base. After one out was recorded, Nick Van Stratten singled to right field, which moved Taylor to third base. An error on the play by the right fielder, Julio Perez, then allowed Taylor to score and Van Stratten to move to third. Jamar Walton then doubled to score Van Stratten to give the Bees the 2-1 lead.

Luis Cota got the start and was outstanding as he allowed three hits and struck out seven over seven innings. Brandon Sisk pitched two scoreless innings for the save.

The Bees now await the winners of the South Bend-Dayton Series. If the Eastern Division Finals are a sweep, the Championship Series starts on Tuesday. If the East goes to three games, the Championship Series starts on Wednesday. Game One and Game Two will be in Burlington. Games Three through Five are set for the Eastern Division stadium.

By the way, Game One of the Eastern Division Finals is tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth as of 8:00pm CDT. That boxscore is here.

Bolded text used to read Wednesday and Thursday in that order. The correct days have been plugged in there now.

Midwest League Action (9/5)

September 5 scoreboard.

@West Michigan 11, South Bend 0:

Facing elimination from the Midwest League playoffs, the West Michigan Whitecaps came out swinging.

And swinging.

And swinging.

Burlington 9, @Kane County 6: "It wasn’t a very well-played game on the defensive end of things,” Cougars manager Aaron Nieckula said. “… Obviously, when your defense commits errors behind you it’s discouraging and disappointing, especially when it’s an elimination game.”

Cedar Rapids 5, @Clinton 4 (11 innings): "Every team that’s in our position will lose their final game with only one winner. We can say that our team fought hard everyday especially tonight, you can’t say enough about this team” said Micuuci

Tonight's schedule:
South Bend at West Michigan 6:05pm CDT [Game 3, First Round]
Burlington at Cedar Rapids 6:30pm CDT [Game 1, Western Finals]

Midwest League Action (9/3)

September 3 playoff scoreboard.

@South Bend 5, West Michigan 3.

From the South Bend Tribune:

South Bend committed six errors and West Michigan five, but the Silver Hawks collected 12 hits to win their playoff opener, 5-3, over the Whitecaps Wednesday night at Coveleski Stadium.
...
Catcher Sean Coughlin enjoyed a 4-for-4 night, scored one and drove in two.

"I saw some good pitches and ran into a couple of them,'' said Coughlin. "I haven't been able to find any holes lately, but was able to at the right time tonight.''
...
West Michigan manager Joe DePastino had a simple explanation for the errors.

"This is the worst infield in the league,'' said DePastino. "And that plays into the fielders' heads.''

and this

Panic isn't part of the South Bend Silver Hawks' standard issue.

Giving up 10 runs in the first inning of the season opener? It happens.

A 2-14 start of the season? No problem, just get better for Game 17.
...
The late infusion of college talent, midseason arrivals like center fielder Ollie Linton, Cowgill, White and pitchers Jeff Dietz, Pat McAnaney and Daniel Schlereth, didn't upset the delicate balance of chemistry.

"Hey, if they produce, 'C'mon, hop on the wagon,'" Walker said. "Those (college) guys were a breath of fresh air. They came in producing. They got off the plane swinging."

From the Grand Rapids Press

"It was a very ugly game and it could have been a little bit of nerves, but to be honest with you, this is one of the worst playing fields to play on when it comes to the way the ball hops," he said. "Both teams were on their heels because they don't have a clue which way it will hop."

and this

Pitcher Thad Weber has pitched in the NCAA Regionals for the University of Nebraska and in front 20,000 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The big-game experience he gained in those situations will be what Weber will rely on tonight in Game 2 of the Midwest League Eastern Division playoffs at Fifth Third Ballpark between the West Michigan Whitecaps and the South Bend Silver Hawks.

@Dayton 3, Lansing 1:

Everybody in the crowd at Fifth Third Field on Wednesday, Sept. 3, understood starter Jeremy Horst deserved an ovation, and they gave it to him, standing.

It was Horst who won the Dragons' opening playoff game, with Neftali Soto's two-run double the determining blow in a 3-1 Dragons victory over Lansing as the Midwest League playoffs opened. Cincinnati Reds General Manager Walk Jocketty and some of his staff watched.

@Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 0:

So much for doubting the Cedar Rapids Kernels coaching staff for picking Esmerlin Jimenez to be the starting pitcher for Game 1 of this Midwest League playoff series. Those guys knew what they were doing.

Photo Credit: Cliff Jette/The Gazette

@Burlington 5, Kane County 3:

"It didn't look real good early," said Burlington manager Brian Rupp. "Their starter did a heck of a job. We needed to find a way to at least make a dent in it, kind of get the guys some confidence. (Jason Taylor) with that big homer in the seventh and some real big at-bats there in the eighth seemed to not only go ahead and give us a little breathing room which obviously we needed."

MWL Playoffs tonight

Game Ones in the East:

West Michigan @ South Bend 5:30pm CDT

Here are three stories from The Grand Rapids Press as the Whitecaps go for three titles in a row:

Whitecaps' Kibler ready for pressure of Game 1

Jon Kibler was the starting pitcher for the Oneonta Tigers, the Detroit Tigers' rookie team, in Game 1 of the New York-Penn League playoffs last season.

For the former Michigan State standout, it was his first season as a professional and arguably the biggest game of his career. He won.

The ball has been handed to the left-hander from Baltimore, Md., again. He'll be on the mound tonight in Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs when the West Michigan Whitecaps face the South Bend Silver Hawks in a best-of-three first-round series.

Whitecaps have advantage against South Bend

After playing South Bend 24 times this regular season, the Whitecaps and the Silver Hawks know each other well. Tonight, the two will make acquaintances again in Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium, nicknamed the "Cove" by Silver Hawks fans.

It's been a second home to the Whitecaps this season. They're 10-6 this season in South Bend.

In a three-game series, Game 1 is huge. It will be a competitive series, one that likely will go the distance.

Whitecaps are underdogs in MWL playoff series

The West Michigan Whitecaps find themselves in familiar territory -- the Midwest League playoffs -- but in the unfamiliar role of underdogs as they seek their third consecutive league championship beginning tonight.

In 2006 and '07, the Whitecaps won titles as the favored team. But this year, they barely made it into the postseason with a second-place finish in the Eastern Division during the first half.

That makes their opening-round opponent, South Bend, the favorite by virtue of its better overall record and Eastern Division title in the second half.

So what?

For the Silver Hawk-centric version here is the South Bend Tribune:

Attitude key for Hawks’ rise

It looked like 2008 might be a season to forget for the South Bend Silver Hawks. Now, it might be one to remember.

“We started off having the worst team in baseball, but we stayed positive’’ — that’s how South Bend Silver Hawks manager Mark Haley looks back at the start of the Midwest League season.

Because of an 0-9 start that stretched to 2-14, the Silver Hawks spent most of the first half of the season in the Eastern Division basement.

But thanks mainly to a second half 25-10 road record, the Silver Hawks spent most of the second half of the season in the penthouse.

Haley said the Hawks focused on the fundamentals stressed by their parent organization, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Lansing @ Dayton 6:00pm CDT

Here is the Lansing State Journal side of this series:

New goal: Midwest League title

Following Monday's regular-season finale, a 4-2 win against the South Bend Silver Hawks, the Lugnuts had to settle with 76 wins before beginning the organization's 10th playoff appearance in its 13-season history.

"We tried to win both halves, but we weren't able to get that done," first-year Lansing manager Clayton McCullough said. "We're all excited to be in the playoffs, though. I know the guys are looking forward to it."

And now from the Dayton Daily News:

If it's stats that matter, Dragons have the edge

Stats don't lie, but what's going on here?

The Dragons first-round best-of-three playoff series with Lansing features the Midwest League's best team ERA (Lansing, 3.05) vs. the league's worst (Dayton, 4.19).

Yet in each of the three games, the scheduled starter for the Dragons has a better record and ERA than his Lugnuts counterpart.

Game 1 Wednesday, Sept. 3, has Dayton's Jeremy Horst (8-2, 2.38 ERA) going against Marc Rzepczynski (7-6, 2.83), with the second game featuring Dayton's Enerio Del Rosario (5-2, 1.16) vs. Luis Perez (5-12, 3.60). If a third game is needed Friday, Dayton's starter is Luis Montano (12-8, 4.02) vs. Brian Letko (4-4, 4.14).

Horst calm heading into playoffs

Who is in the Midwest League playoffs?

Not always the players you'd expect.

Ty Howington was a No. 1 draft pick by the Reds, yet he pitched to only one batter (walking him) in the playoffs during the Dayton Dragons' first season, 2000.

Chris Gruler? Another No. 1 pick who lost his only playoff game.

Homer Bailey, another No. 1 pick? His Dragons team didn't even make the playoffs.

Tonight, Sept. 3, Jeremy Horst is the choice of the Dragons to pitch the first game against Lansing, and they held him back a day to put him in this position. Horst is 8-2 with a 2.38 ERA, and pitching coach Doug Bair calls him one of the best two lefties in the organization below Class AAA level.

Game Ones in the West:

Clinton @ Cedar Rapids 6:30pm CDT

Clinton Herald, what say you?

LumberKings prepare to take on Kernels in playoff opener

“They know what were going to do and we know what they’re going to do. Today we told the ball club who’s going to execute better is going to be the team that comes out top.” said Clinton manager Mike Micucci.

During the year the L-Kings have faced the Kernels a combined 18 times as they have earned the season series against them by compiling a record of 13-5.

And from the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

Winning in playoffs has nice ring to Kernels

"It's a great opportunity for us," said Kernels pitcher Esmerlin Jimenez, one of those [2007 Pioneer League] championship [Orem] Owlz. "This is the playoffs, everything else is done. We have to reset. It's the same ballgame, but this is more important. Every pitch, every at-bat, everything counts."

Kane County @ Burlington 6:30pm CDT

Can we hear from the Kane County Chronicle?

Berth earned in spring

While it was the first-half Cougars team that qualified for the Midwest League playoffs, the second-half crew will be responsible for any ssort of substantial postseason run.

The Cougars begin the postseason at 6:30 p.m. tonight, on the road, in the first game of a best-of-three series with Burlington. When they take the field, many of the key names that made the playoff appearance possible with a wild card berth in June will not be in uniform, nor have they been for some time now.

First-half ace and Midwest League Western Division starting pitcher Craig Italiano, slugging center fielder Corey Brown and No. 2 starter Scott Mitchinson have been promoted, leaving fellow All-Stars Larry Cobb, Greg Dowling and Jamie Richmond to navigate a ship that’s been off course at times since late June.

The Hawkeye in Burlington must be full of stories as the Bees make their first playoff appearance since 2002:

Playoff buzz for the Bees

After the first half the Bees had, a playoff appearance was the last thing on anyone's mind.

The Bees were in the cellar at the All-Star break with a 30-39 record. The Cougars were 39-29.

Burlington, though, came alive in the second half, and especially in August.

The Bees finished with the best record in the league in the second half at 43-26. They rolled through the final month with a 20-9 mark and added a victory Monday in the regular-season finale.

How did this team go from the cellar to the penthouse?

"It was a little bit of a combination of things," said Rupp. "The roster did change a bit and kind of settled more in the second half. I think it was just the overall experience the guys got in the first half and kind of figured it out more in the second half."

Peterson overcomes early disappointment

"The first game against Kane County he gave up about 12 home runs in the first outing, but then after that he's really done an outstanding job for us," said Bees pitching coach Doug Henry. "He's been probably the one guy all year who's probably solidified innings in the bullpen when we needed someone to mop up innings, to give us quality innings. Whatever we've needed, he's been the guy to do it for us all year long."
Peterson found his way to the bullpen after being a starter his entire career, including through college at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He even began this season as a starter, working with a piggyback partner. That is when he began his relief role.

The adjustment period has been easy as Peterson has had success from the beginning.

McCoy shows his true colors

"I just said the Burlington Bees mean a lot to me being from Burlington," McCoy said, "and if the Bees make the playoffs, I will get the Bees logo tattoo. The Bees made the playoffs and I got the Bees tattoo.

"A lot of people didn't think I'd do it, but now that I've got it done, a lot of people think it's really neat that I support the Bees and I'm excited about the Bees making it to the playoffs."

Bees vs. Kane County

Starting pitchers: Kane County left-hander Carlos Hernandez (5-0, 2.29 ERA) against Burlington right-hander Danny Gutierrez (4-4, 2.70).

If that isn't enough for you. There is also the milb.com Playoff page for the Midwest League.