C’s Recap – 2023 Vancouver Canadians Season in Review (Championship Edition, Northwest League Final)

C’s Plus Baseball talks to the key players behind the key moments of the 2023 Northwest League Championship Series that resulted in the Vancouver Canadians winning their fifth league title since 2011.

The Canadians would take on the Everett AquaSox in the league final and it was the first playoff meeting between the two teams since 2013. The C’s swept the Frogs in two straight games to advance to the Northwest League Championship Series and complete the 3-peat by knocking off the Boise Hawks in the deciding Game 3 at Nat Bailey Stadium.

The Canadians stumbled into the postseason with a 6-12 record over the final 18 games of the regular season while the Everett AquaSox rallied to snatch the second-half Northwest League pennant by going 13-5 down the stretch. The Frogs clinched their spot in the league final with a come-from-behind Labour Day win at home over the Eugene Emeralds. That was among their league-best 40 second-half wins, one more than Vancouver.

Infielder Ryan McCarty says the team was confident they would get back on track in the postseason.

“During those last couple weeks, we did have a rough stretch and we all agreed we didn’t feel like ourselves. There was a lot of randomness day-to-day as well whether it was sicknesses or someone being hurt so the last few weeks were a grind for us. I think it all ended up working out though because everyone got the appropriate rest they needed and then come championship week, we were all ready to go again! It was like everyone just took a deep breath and threw out what had happened the past few weeks and said, ‘Let’s play our game and what we are capable of.’ “

Lefthander Naswell Paulino believed one thing in the C’s favour heading into the final was last year’s experience of playing in the 2022 Northwest League Championship Series against the Eugene Emeralds.

“I think it helped a lot because we have the knowledge from that failure so this year we helped our new teammates and ourselves and that put us in a situation where losing is not an option, just winning. We had a bad streak to end the season and other teams were thinking they had a chance against us now that we looked vulnerable because we lost some of the best players for late promotions but they didn’t know we were prepared for that moment and ready to battle.”

Game 1

Game 1 of the Northwest League Championship Series was played on Tuesday, September 12 at Funko Field at Everett Memorial Stadium. It was six years ago on that date when Logan Warmoth drove in the tying and winning runs and William Ouellette got the final out in the clinching Game 4 of the NWLCS at The Nat against the Eugene Emeralds.

Vancouver and Everett split 24 games against each other over the course of the 2023 regular season. The Sox would send Northwest League ERA leader (3.26) and co-wins leader (10) Reid VanScoter to the mound against former AquaSock Adam Macko in a battle of lefties. VanScoter was 2-1 with a 1.50 earned run average in four starts against Vancouver and limited the C’s to a .213 batting average. Macko was the reigning Northwest League Pitcher of the Week after five shutout innings at Tri-City to win his final start of the regular season. He went 2-0 against Everett with a 2.65 ERA and a .190 batting average against.

After VanScoter retired the side in order to begin the game, Macko ran into trouble just two pitches in.

“I remember hitting Cole Young the second pitch of the game. Felt a little struck back by that but I was proud of myself at the end of it all how I was able to let go of the doubt and uncertainty that came after the hit by pitch or a walk in that game.”

Macko also got a big assist from second baseman Jeff Wehler who made the catch of the series for the first out in the bottom of the first, retiring Harry Ford by laying out for a catch toward the line in shallow right field. Wehler was willing to pay the price for victory on that play.

“I was actually playing in the wrong spot and shouldn’t have been so far up the middle, but it ended up working out. The only thing I really remember is knowing that it had a great chance of being fair. I had an idea that it would be a tough catch for (Garrett) Spain and Peyton (Williams) so I just ended up going for it. I was pretty sore for sure. I was dealing with a banged-up knee for the rest of the series.”

Wehler was supposed to finish the rest of the season with Double-A New Hampshire after being called up from Vancouver on September 1.

“Playing for the Fisher Cats was a very good time. They welcomed me with open arms for a few days and it made the transition a lot easier. I did not know I was getting called back down for the championship. A lot of guys got sick.”

Wehler would really make the AquaSox sick after another big play with the leather later in the game.

After Macko struck out Northwest League home run king Hogan Windish to end the first inning, the C’s would get their first baserunner of the series when Peyton Williams was plunked by a pitch and Gabby Martinez got the first hit of the series with a base hit to left. One out later, McCarty stepped up to the plate and he drove in the first run of the series with the series’ first extra-base hit with a double down the right field line.

“I remember that game and that first at-bat pretty vividly. They had a great pitcher on the mound who had a big mix of pitches and could essentially throw them all where he wanted. I remember having my specific approach at that moment and he actually made a really good pitch. It was a back-door cutter and it would have clipped the outside corner but I was able to pick up what pitch it was early and waited as long as I could on it, quite literally considering it hit the first base bag! That was probably as much as I could have done with that pitch. I remember just going up there to grind an at-bat out and keep the line moving.”

Seattle Mariners number one prospect Cole Young prevented the C’s from tacking on additional runs when the AquaSox shortstop made a leaping grab of a Dasan Brown line drive and went to second for an unassisted double play to double off McCarty.

The C’s would add to their lead as McCarty ignited a fifth-inning rally with his second double of the night down the left field line against VanScoter.

“My next at-bat was when I hit his slider actually, so it ended up running inside on me because it started over the plate and moved more than his cutter. I got around it a little bit but still kept it fair and it went down the third base line! You can tell this guy is making good pitches because I’m only capable of getting hits on his stuff by going down the lines, he gave me nothing in the middle of the plate that game. I was pumped to be able to get something going for the boys because we were playing a really good team and needed to do as much as we could.”

McCarty would come in to score on a Jommer Hernández double which came after Brown battled VanScoter to an 11-pitch walk.

Macko made that lead stand up after five innings. He struck out Ben Ramirez and Bill Knight to strand a two-out walk to Walking Cabrera in the bottom of the second and overcame third-inning walks to Blake Rambusch and Ford with Hernández throwing out Rambusch trying to steal second.

After a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth, Macko got into his tightest jam of the night in the fifth. Knight was hit with a pitch with one out and a two-out infield single to first by Young and a fielding error by Macko covering the bag put two runners in scoring position. Ford walked to load the bases but Wehler knocked down a sharp grounder by Gabriel Gonzalez before completing the 4-3 putout to keep Everett off the scoreboard.

Macko felt his approach served him well down the stretch in the regular season and in Game 1.

“I threw every pitch with purpose and confidence and that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to throw the way I did. Also having pitched at that tiny stadium in the past when I played for Everett I think helped me understand that in this specific scenario, I’d rather walk somebody than give them a good pitch to hit. Learning to be patient and being where my feet are were the biggest keys for me. I’ve learned to embrace the moment, detach myself from results and just focus on the day-to-day with a plan.”

Leam Mendez relieved Macko to start the sixth inning and issued a pair of walks to Windish and Josh Hood with a Ramirez fielder’s choice in between.

Lefty Ian Churchill was summoned and he had trouble finding the strike zone by falling behind Cabrera 2-0 but he found the range just in time by striking out Cabrera and Knight to strand the runners.

“I think I came in just trying to be a little too fine and needed to remember to just throw it in there!”

The C’s added an insurance run in the seventh when Garrett Spain drew a leadoff walk against Kyle Hill in the sixth. McCarty singled Spain off Troy Taylor—who replaced an injured Hill—over to third with a single to right before a Brown RBI groundout to first scored Spain with Vancouver’s third run.

Churchill overcame a pair of one-out singles to Young and Ford in the seventh and another one-out knock to Hood in the eighth before turning the ball over to Ryan Boyer in the ninth. Rambusch singled on Boyer’s second pitch of the game but that was all Everett could muster. Boyer wanted to do his part in putting Game 1 in the win column for Vancouver.

“What I remember most is Adam throwing a gem. I remember coming in and really wanting to lock down the win for him and the rest of the guys. I knew how important Game 1 was and just wanted to come out and be aggressive with a 3-run lead.”

The final score in Game 1 – Vancouver 3 Everett 0.

Game 2

Game 2 was played on Wednesday, September 13 at Funko Field. The C’s went to their most consistent starter of 2023 in Devereaux Harrison and they had to like their chances after the former Long Beach State hurler no-hit the Frogs for six innings back on June 10. That was part of a 2-0 record, a 3.18 ERA and a .203 batting average against Harrison compiled against Everett. Lefty Raúl Alcantara would take the ball for the AquaSox. He was 1-1 with an ERA of 8.00 against the C’s after being charged with nine runs over 1-2/3 innings in a road loss on May 11 but he limited Vancouver to one run over two starts covering 11 innings in late July at Nat Bailey Stadium, picking up a win in the series finale on July 30.

Vancouver tried to give Harrison a run to work with when Cade Doughty doubled with two outs and got to third on a wild pitch but Alcantara struck out Peyton Williams to end the top of the first.

After no home runs were hit in Game 1, Everett got the first long ball of the series as Ben Ramirez connected for a three-run home run off Harrison with two outs in the bottom of the first. Everett got a sacrifice fly from Blake Rambusch to score a leadoff double by Mike Salvatore in the second inning to go up by four.

Things would get much worse in the third inning for the C’s. Williams suffered a wrist injury by jamming his right hand against a metal post trying to chase down a foul ball by Gabriel Gonzalez from first base and he would miss the rest of the series. The big first baseman from Iowa did homer once at Funko Field but that was outnumbered by the two injuries he suffered there after jamming his shoulder to preserve the C’s no-hitter from June 10. To add insult to injury, Gonzalez would then single up the middle to ignite a big rally. Josh Hood drew a bases-loaded walk against Harrison and a Doughty error at third led to another run and chased Harrison from the game. Lefty Cooper Benson came in and served up a grand slam to Victor Labrada to give Everett double digits in the run column. Eric Pardinho, Conor Larkin, Justin Kelly and Naswell Paulino provided shutout relief the rest of the way but the C’s could only manage seven hits on the night, three of them by Doughty. Dasan Brown was the other play to get on base more than once with a single and a walk.

Glenn Santiago, Nick Goodwin and Angel Del Rosario made their series debut by appearing at first base, second base and left field respectively.

The final score in Game 2 – Everett 10 Vancouver 0.

Game 3

The Northwest League Championship Series would resume at Nat Bailey Stadium on Friday, September 15. The C’s would face a third straight lefty in Brandon Schaeffer who defeated Vancouver in his Northwest League debut with 10 strikeouts over 6-1/3 shutout innings at Funko Field on June 6. The C’s would emerge victorious against Schaeffer in the series finale by scratching out two runs over six innings on June 11. Things did not go as well for Schaeffer at The Nat on July 27 as he gave up five runs over 4-1/3 innings to take the loss.

Hunter Gregory would take the ball for Vancouver against the Frogs. His regular season numbers against Everett were 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in two starts and four relief appearances. However, the righthander found his form down the stretch by recording a 1.82 ERA over his last 24-2/3 innings.

Ryan McCarty moved from second base to first base to make way for Nick Goodwin who was making his first start of the postseason.

Everett threatened early against Gregory as Cole Young singled to left field and Harry Ford walked. Gabriel Gonzalez flew out to center but he got a lot of mileage on his productive out. Dasan Brown made a strong throw to third but his throw hit Young as the two runners both moved up 90 feet to get into scoring position.

Gregory felt he had to set the tone early and he did just that by striking out Hogan Windish and Ben Ramirez to turn the AquaSox away.

“I knew I had to have a scoreless inning so my hitters could get some runs on the board since the bats were hot. The last two strikeouts were for sure an adrenaline rush and I wanted to keep that going throughout the game.”

Gregory was one strike away from a 1-2-3 second inning but he grazed Bill Knight on the brim of his batting helmet. Knight was alright and would remain in the game. A wild pitch and walks to Blake Rambusch and Young followed to load the bases. After falling behind 2-0 and 3-2 in the count, Gregory rallied to strike out Ford to turn the Frogs away again.

“This was a championship so it’s the best of the best and I was going against one of Seattle’s best prospects, but I knew there was a job to be done. I was confident knowing I had one of the best defenses behind me but striking him out gave me a huge boost of confidence to go into the next inning and also got the crowd going in front of me which helped as well.”

Mirroring the end of his regular season, Gregory finished up strong by retiring the last seven hitters he faced including whiffs of Windish and Mike Salvatore.

Gabby Martinez was the first runner to reach base on a hit by pitch from Schaeffer but did not go any further in the bottom of the second. Jommer Hernández singled to right field off Schaeffer in the bottom of the third and got to second base on a wild pitch. McCarty drew a walk but that was all Vancouver would manage. In the bottom of the fourth, Jeff Wehler‘s one-out single to center was erased on a Garrett Spain fielder’s choice. Spain stole second but the C’s could not bring him home.

Southpaw Ian Churchill relieved Gregory in the fourth and the AquaSox threatened again when Young worked a one-out walk and made it to third on a throwing error by Cade Doughty on a Ford ground ball to third. Churchill remained unfazed through it all by fanning Gonzalez and Windish on foul tips.

Jimmy Kingsbury took care of the C’s in order with a couple of strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth while Churchill matched that with a three-up, three-down inning in the sixth that included a strikeout of Hood.

McCarty was due up to lead off the bottom of the sixth and he singled up the middle for Vancouver’s first hit against Kingsbury.

“When I’m coming up to lead off an inning, I’m trying to find any way on base because there is no sort of situation in front of me. My job in order to win ball games in that position is just to get on base no matter how ugly it is and so I was battling with this guy during that at-bat and got myself into a 2-2 count after seeing fastballs and sliders. This guy made a great pitch on a slider that was actually sweeping just off the plate so I hit it off the end of the bat but it was the perfect launch angle to still be a line drive and sneak up the middle. So like I said I am just trying to get on by any means necessary even if it’s not pretty and that stung the hands pretty bad considering it was a cooler night.”

McCarty would get into scoring position when Doughty took one for the team. What happened next was a deep drive off the bat of Martinez off the left field wall past the outstretched glove of Salvatore that saw McCarty come in to score the game’s first run.

“Typically with nobody out and a fly ball hit to the outfield, you are automatically tagging up and a fly ball to left field is tough to tag up on so I saw it go to left and immediately took some steps off the base getting ready to score in case he drops it. However, Gabby tagged this ball better than I initially thought so I retreated to the bag because I knew I could tag up on this ball to left because it’ll be deep enough. Then the final thought process was ‘Man, that outfielder is watching that ball hit the wall.’ So I realized that and took off immediately! In reality, the ball hit the wall and I was running and just watching Brent (C’s manager Brent Lavallee) give me whatever signal he wanted but I really wanted to score no matter what sign he was going to give me. I’m glad we were thinking the same thing.”

Kingsbury and reliever Sam Carlson joined forces to strike out the side and limit the damage to one run to end the bottom of the sixth.

Everett staged another rally with a pair of one-out singles by Rambusch and Young against Churchill in the top of the seventh inning but the lefty was confident that things would work out for the club.

“I felt pretty calm. I played in a lot of high-pressure games what with being in college for a while. I knew if I got into any trouble, I had someone coming in behind me that was gonna save me.”

That someone was righthander Ryan Boyer and he struck out Ford before retiring Gonzalez on an inning-ending 6-4 fielder’s choice to finish the seventh. Boyer says he was ready for that moment.

“Game 3 was something I had envisioned since we clinched a playoff spot. Coming in, in a big spot and helping us get a win in a critical game was just how I dreamed it up. Because of this, I don’t think I was nervous at all. I was mentally and physically prepared for the moment and really just blacked out when I got to the mound. I don’t remember much from the outing itself, but I do remember right before and right after the outing. I recall getting the ball from Brent (manager Brent Lavallee) and just locking eyes with Jommer (Jommer Hernández) our catcher. We had a great relationship all year and I remember just looking at him and saying, “You and me”. Brent was trying to say something and I pretty much completely blocked him out. I was already locked in with Jommer. Next thing I remember is walking off the mound and looking into the crowd as they went crazy. I just soaked in the moment and thought to myself, ‘This is exactly what I’ve been dreaming of.’ “

The C’s tried to pad their lead after the seventh-inning stretch. Goodwin was hit by a pitch but was thrown out by Ford trying to steal second. Kasevich singled to center with two outs but was left stranded.

The AquaSox got the potential tying run aboard when Ramirez singled to right with one out but Boyer struck out two more batters, including an inning-ending whiff of Salvatore.

Doughty was plunked again for the second time to start the eighth inning by Troy Taylor but he was the only Vancouver baserunner in the frame.

Conor Larkin was brought in to work the top of the ninth for the C’s. A Rambusch infield single to short with one away put the potential tying run on base but the Irishman remained calm and got the job done with a game-ending strikeout of Ford.

“It was definitely the most intense inning I have ever been a part of. The emotions were high, especially when there was so much on the line. A pivotal Game 3 that could swing the series momentum in any direction! I just remember how loud the crowd was engaged in that inning. They were passionate all year, but they definitely took it up a notch in this particular situation. I just reminded myself to remain composed and not get ahead of myself. One pitch at a time. Enjoy the moment and soak it all in. It definitely felt like a playoff atmosphere in The Nat. The crowd was electric and it made it that much more fun to play in front of and close it out in front of them! Especially being in front of a sold-out crowd of about 6,300 was a moment I will never forget in my career but closing the final out was a burst of adrenaline I never got before. It was a cool feeling and even better to celebrate it with your teammates that you did it all year with. The day-in and day-out grind made it that much more when you get to celebrate with them.”

Not to be lost in the shuffle was the solid defence by C’s shortstop Josh Kasevich. He made a diving catch on a liner from Gonzalez that was ticketed for left field to prevent Everett from gaining any momentum in a spotless third inning for Gregory. The former Oregon Duck said the atmosphere at The Nat felt like he was in college all over again.

“I remember the intensity of the crowd and the urge to win that game from everybody in the C’s clubhouse. The game and series had a lot of similarities to a college regional. As a player, you like to treat every game as the same, but of course, those games seem to mean just a little more.”

Center fielder Dasan Brown described what he was feeling during and after Game 3.

“I don’t think I took a breath that entire game. I think the entire nine innings, it was just constant stress and emotions. Getting that last out and getting to release that one of the most amazing feelings I ever experienced on a baseball field.”

The final score in Game 3 – Vancouver 1 Everett 0.

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Game 4

Game 4 of the Northwest League Championship Series was played on Saturday, September 16 at Nat Bailey Stadium. Exactly one year ago, the C’s were defeated by the Eugene Emeralds for the 2022 NWLCS in three straight games with the Em’s celebrating the title after an extra-inning victory in Game 3 on a Friday night at The Nat.

The C’s had a chance to flip the script against Marcelo Perez who was tabbed as the Game 4 starter for the Frogs. Ryan Jennings got the starting assignment for Vancouver, facing the AquaSox for the first time since his Northwest League debut in Everett on June 11. In his first-ever appearance on the Nat Bailey Stadium mound, Jennings struck out the side by sitting down the top three prospects in the Seattle system in Cole Young, Harry Ford and Gabriel Gonzalez.

Jennings spoke about his playoff debut at The Nat in a recent C’s Chat.

“Getting on the mound while there were 6,500 people there rooting you on. That probably helped me the most. It’s one thing to pitch in an environment where people show up and are rooting against you. It’s another thing to have the whole city really behind you and facing those three hitters. No offence to any of those guys (from Everett). I like to try and go out there and not think about who I’m facing because as soon as I say ‘The number one prospect is in the box,’ I start pressing a little bit. I try to keep that out of my mind as much as possible. So that was probably the first time I heard that they were the top three prospects, which kind of makes me feel pretty good about myself now.”

Ryan McCarty had the first Vancouver hit for Game 4 with a one-out single to center with one out. He got into scoring position on a Cade Doughty tapper to the mound but Perez was able to close the door in the bottom of the first.

Jennings also stranded a runner at second base in the top of the second when Windish got aboard on a throwing error by Doughty at third though it appeared McCarty made the tag on Windish after jumping off the first base bag to catch the ball. Windish would go no further as Jennings retired the next three hitters he faced.

Jeff Wehler—the defensive star of Game 1—was Vancouver’s designated hitter for the second straight game and on a 2-2 pitch, he delivered a leadoff double to left off Perez that Ben Ramirez could not corral at third.

“I remember it pretty vividly. The double I hit ended up being the same pitch he was getting me on earlier. So I was able to make an adjustment and get a good swing on one.”

Wehler would trade spaces with Garrett Spain as his RBI double to right field off Perez got the C’s on the board with the first run of the game. Spain says the end result was a bonus to his original goal of his at-bat.

“I remember trying to get my pitch and put it to the first base side to try and move the runner. Ended up doing that and some more so that was nice to see. I also remember the roar of the crowd, that place was ready to explode.”

Spain would later score on a Jommer Hernández double play ball to give the C’s a 2-0 lead after two.

Jennings maintained that lead by working around a hit by pitch to Bill Knight to start the third inning and a two-out walk to Ford with strikeouts of Rambusch and Young and a Gonzalez pop out to second.

Righthander Luis Curvelo walked McCarty to begin the fourth but the AquaSox reliever left McCarty’s steal of second 180 feet away by retiring the side.

Anders Tolhurst took over for Jennings and was able to retire all three men he faced in the top of the fourth to maintain the C’s two-run cushion. That cushion would get a whole lot bigger when he came back out for the top of the fifth.

A Spain single to center and a Dasan Brown walk chased Curvelo from the game in the home half of the fourth inning. Bernie Martinez surrendered a bloop single to center by Hernández to load the bases with one out. A Josh Kasevich fielder’s choice to Young at short scored Spain with the third Vancouver run. Another grounder to Young at short by McCarty did not produce any outs as Young threw the ball away allowing Brown to score run number four.

With runners on the corners, Doughty came up to the dish.

“I remember feeling confident and prepared, I was fortunate to get a good pitch to hit and I was happy to contribute to the team. I also remember the Canadians fans going crazy, definitely an at-bat I will always remember.”

Doughty’s two-run double cashed in Kasevich and McCarty to make it 6-0. Doughty—who went to third on the play—would trot home on a Gabby Martinez single to right to make it 7-0 for Monty’s Mounties.

The AquaSox would respond with two runs in the top of the fifth on a Young sacrifice fly to center and a Ford double to right but Tolhurst would close the door on Everett after that.

“I just remember coming back into the dugout and talked with the catcher (Jommer Hernández) to switch up a few things and it ended up working out. I knew my team had my back so I wasn’t worried about giving up those 2 runs because I still had to go back out and compete. I will have to say a big part of having some success towards the end was just being able to have fun and not be so hard on myself. We had a great clubhouse environment and our staff was even better which made everything around us a lot easier.”

Tolhurst did get some support from the offence after striking out Ramirez and Hood to punctuate a perfect sixth inning. Jarrod Bayless overcame a Brown walk and a Nick Goodwin hit by pitch in the fifth but a two-out double to lefty by Doughty and a Martinez base knock to right in the sixth gave Vancouver an 8-2 advantage.

In the top of the seventh, Tolhurst struck out Salvatore and got Rambusch to line into a 6-3 double play to double off a Knight one-out single to right to face just three batters in the inning.

The AquaSox summoned lefty Peyton Alford to pitch the bottom of the seventh but he was lit up as well by the C’s as Spain led off with a double to left and eventually came home on a one-out blast by Goodwin off the facing of the left field porch to give Vancouver double digits in the run column.

Spain also contributed to the Vancouver cause with his glove in the eighth. Young drew a leadoff walk against Eric Pardinho but Spain started a 9-4-2 play after a Windish single to cut down Young at the plate to maintain the C’s eight-run advantage.

Gabby Martinez had Vancouver’s final hit of the game with a one-out double to center against Leon Hunter Jr. in the bottom of the eighth.

Justin Kelly was tasked with getting the final three outs of the season in the top of the ninth. The former Utah Ute had the privilege of throwing the final pitch of the first-half playoff clincher back on Father’s Day and now had the chance to throw the final pitch of the year. He did not expect to get into the game.

“Well, it was a privilege to say the least. I had no idea. We had quite a big lead there in the ninth and when the radio came down in the eighth and told me to get moving around, I’m going to have the ninth, I got really excited. I had my Mom and my Dad there, my girlfriend was there. That was the only series other than when we were in Everett that my parents were there all year. So for them to see that, that last out recorded and I got to be on the mound for it around with all the guys, it was amazing.”

Kelly said his approach with an eight-run lead was to simply throw strikes.

“The lead is huge for when you’re taking the mound, especially in a game like that, you have all the padding in the world. My job is to go in there and fill up the zone. And you know, I got hit hard a couple of times. The first pitch I threw was tagged to right that Garrett Spain caught and (Cade Doughty) made a good play over here at third. And then the last one to (Josh Kasevich). I mean, my job is just to fill the zone up. More often than not, (the hitters) going to get themselves out and that’s exactly what happened.”

Kelly got Hood to fly out to right before Salvatore singled to center. Salvatore made it to second when Knight grounded out to third base and moved up another 90 feet on a passed ball by Hernández. The C’s catcher was shaken up as the ball hit him in the back of his glove where his hand was exposed. Hernández was okay to continue and five pitches later, the game would end.

The Final Out

Blake Rambusch lined out to Canadians shortstop Josh Kasevich for the 27th and final out and the former Oregon Duck was glad to make the play that started the celebration of the 2023 Northwest League championship for Vancouver.

“As a defender, I am always hoping the ball is hit to me. No matter the situation, I want to make a play. Especially in that situation, I wanted it just a little more. It was a surreal moment to end the season. After the final out, I made sure to give the ball to our Manager (Brent Lavallee). The way he supported us players throughout the season and the way he was always there for us, it just felt right.”

Justin Kelly described what he remembered about his final pitch.

“It definitely got a little blurry right after that, but I whip my head around and saw Josh go up for it and he came down with it. And after that, it was just hysterical. You know, happiness, I couldn’t describe it any other way. It was just a blur. I threw the hat down and I could see the guys coming from the dugout and I saw Jommer coming out to the mound and, you know, just a big, big bear hug there and then got mosh-pitted with the rest of the guys. It was amazing.”

Dasan Brown says he took in the surroundings and chatted with his fellow outfielders before the 27th out.

“I remember in the outfield looking at (Gabby) Martinez and (Garrett) Spain and like Spain even said, like ‘Soak this in!’ Like that feeling before that last out. The fans were screaming and you know, we knew we had it in the bag. Watching Josh catch that ball and beginning to run and jump that dog pile and pop bottles after. It was amazing, it was a lot of fun.”

Ryan McCarty was at first base when Kasevich caught the final out.

“I remember that last out going right to Josh and I was just rushed with pure excitement! I remember the first thing I did was go down on a knee and thank Christ for everything I was experiencing and doing it with some of the best people/players I’ve ever met. It is all truly a blessing and He is the reason who I am today and where I am. It was also my first experience winning a pro championship and just about all the other guys as well and maybe even staff. I am not sure who has had that experience before but I still claim it was the greatest night of my life and we enjoyed the crap out of it.

I also had an incredible view of the crowd being right next to some of them so the energy in the stadium was like nothing I’ve ever played in front of. It’s easily the greatest game I have been a part of, the most fun one and most memorable.

The turning point could have been two moments in that game because we put up a ton of runs in the fourth and we were just playing our game with confidence. They did punch back a little the next inning but the nail in the coffin was in the seventh after we put up 2 more. We knew what was going on but kept it all about business until that final out was made because there is still no clock we can wait out so we had to solidify and then we can let loose and have fun.”

Hunter Gregory said the dogpile celebration at The Nat was the latest he got to enjoy in his baseball career.

“The team chemistry going into the final month was the best team chemistry I have ever been a part of. We all knew there was a job to be done and we did everything in our power to achieve that. We wanted to not only bring another championship to Vancouver but also the Blue Jays organization. I have had a dog pile at each level (high school, college, pro) so that is a great life achievement”

Anders Tolhurst—the winning pitcher of Game 4—joined the celebration but his hat was not as lucky.

“I just remember jumping over the railing after the final out and going crazy on the field. My hat got knocked off and smushed on the floor but that was the least of my worries. The best part was celebrating with everyone in the clubhouse afterwards.”

“The celebration was one of the more memorable things I’ve ever done on a baseball field. This team was the most dominant group of guys I’ve ever played with.”

—Jeff Wehler

The final score in Game 4 – Vancouver 10 Everett 2.

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Epilogue

Infielder Cade Doughty shared his thoughts about the 2023 campaign.

“We were able to rally together as a team and get refocused. Although the back end of the second half didn’t go as planned, we knew at the end of the year we were going to be holding up the trophy.

There’s something about those Canadians fans! They brought the energy all year, the playoffs were a great experience. I am happy to be in high-leverage situations, playoff baseball is like nothing I’ve played in before. I’m looking forward to playing meaningful baseball every year.

It was amazing, with all the hard work we put in throughout the year, to be able to come out on top is a great feeling. I remember looking over at Josh (Josh Kasevich) before the final out and we both smirked at each other, it was a perfect ending for one of the best minor league teams all year.”

Pitcher Devereaux Harrison says winning the title was a total team effort.

“It was good to see the team finish what we started! We had a great team all year, every guy did something very special. We were also a very tight group who all got along and enjoyed being with each other. It was awesome, the environment at Nat Bailey was something out of a movie as well! It was a fun last series to end it with the boys and I’m glad we came out on top!!”

Reliever Sam Ryan was sidelined for the playoffs but he felt the 2023 Canadians would not be denied.

“It was just a great team to be a part of, I think that group of guys was so resilient on offence and defence.”

Outfielder Garrett Spain was glad the team was able to get the job done the second time around after coming up short against Eugene in the NWLCS in 2022.

“Playing in the finals again was an awesome experience especially since we didn’t have the best showing the prior year. We got to be the home team and win it at home so that was sick. Remembering the environment from the year before too was something that was motivating for our team.

Knowing that The Nat was going to be packed and loud was something the boys and I were excited about. Being able to win it in front of them was second to nothing.

Celebrating that final out was like a happy ending to a movie. We had worked so hard and for so long to get to that one moment. To see it come to life and to do it at home was a moment I’ll never forget. Being able to celebrate with everyone who makes the Canadians so special was pretty sweet. Champagne and hugs is the only way you want to end a special season like that.”

Outfielder Dasan Brown says getting to the league final in 2022 was beneficial this time around.

“I think that changed everything, you know, having that experience and not coming up short. Getting that experience and getting the opportunity again. The team we had and just, you know, all the guys in the locker room fighting for it all year, like it was meant to be, and it was one of the best times I had.”

Save for one outing with Double-A New Hampshire in 2023, lefthander Naswell Paulino spent the last two seasons with the Vancouver Canadians just like Spain. Paulino believed the team was capable of getting back to the final and winning it.

“Well at the end of spring training, I just figured out that we are almost the same team as last year. We know each other better now and everyone was feeling something special from that group. We had the goal in mind “finishing the business this year” and you can see that if you look back and see how we dominated the league during the first half of the season.”

Paulino also credited manager Brent Lavallee, pitching coach Joel Bonnett and the entire coaching and training staff in helping the C’s win the championship.

“We wouldn’t be able to accomplish all that without the help of all the staff. Brent, Joel, all of them helped us in a big way, always trying to help, always treating us like their sons. They gave us the tools and the confidence we needed to get the job done and we did it.”

Thanks a Million Roll Call

Leading things off, thanks a million to the following players for their comments and insights on this year’s Championship Review.

• Ryan McCarty
• Naswell Paulino
• Adam Macko
• Jeff Wehler
• Ian Churchill
• Ryan Boyer
• Ryan Jennings
• Hunter Gregory
• Garrett Spain
• Conor Larkin
• Anders Tolhurst
• Cade Doughty
• Devereaux Harrison
• Josh Kasevich
• Sam Ryan
• Justin Kelly
• Dasan Brown

To the many folks in the press box area, a million thank yous to the following.

• To the folks on the portside—Joseph Anctil, Andy Scheier, Joshua Abdalla, K.P. Wee and Tim Havas. And to the starside, Jameel Kaba, Doug Boynton and Max Langley.
• Jake Sturkenboom, Jorge Parra, Damon Breti, Maddy White, Javier Dedios Machuca and all of the incredibly talented folks behind the TV broadcast crew for bringing the games to life on MiLB.TV.
• Mike Hanafin for everything relating to scoring decisions, batting orders, inning-ending totals and pitching changes. 
• Matteo Angeles, aka DJ ShoFlo, for providing stellar middle relief innings and putting up with me as my wingman with big assists from DJs J-Swing and Kemo.
• Nico McEwen for pinch-hitting for me in the press box in the first week of June.
• To the visiting broadcasters who were great to deal with—Mike Boyle (Spokane), Doug Taylor (Tri-City), Jacob Archer (Eugene), Matt Richert (Hillsboro) and Steve Willits and Pat Dillon (Everett).

Thanks to the promotions team Stephen Kaita, Kristina Weir and Eliza Switzer for their hard work.

A huge thanks a million to the Vancouver Canadians front office staff for inviting me back for 2023 including general manager Allan Bailey and assistant general manager Stephani Ellis.

A million thanks to marketing services coordinator Kendra Chin, vice-president of sales and marketing Walter Cosman, ticket operations manager Steven Maisey, sales coordinators Liam Guerrero, Cooper Misic and Jacob Nakhleh, financial controller Brenda Chmiliar and accounting coordinator Charlene Yaroshuk for their support.

I also need to say gracias to team photographer Mark Steffens for the tremendous phots he takes that are featured quite often in the C-Tweets section of all the C’s Recaps through the years.

Thanks to all the ushers led by Hans Havas including Anna, Brenda, Dave, Dave, Gerry, Keith, Iris, Joanna and Verne as well as the concession workers and all the behind-the-scenes people who made the Game Day operation a smooth one.

Thanks to all the players and coaching staff for a memorable season and for granting me interviews throughout the season.

Thanks to C’s broadcaster Tyler Zickel for arranging another huge batch number of interviews with the 2023 Vancouver Canadians.

And thanks a million to you for reading.

The target dates for 2024 are April 5 when Monty’s Mounties open their season in Spokane before returning to YVR for the home opener against Hillsboro on April 9 when the 2023 Northwest League pennant will be raised.