EVERETT — Just 11 games remain in the Northwest League regular season and the Everett AquaSox are one win away from the North Division second-half title and a matchup against the Spokane Indians in a best-of-three North Division Series.
The red-hot AquaSox (20-7 second half, 38-27 overall) won four out of five at Eugene earlier this week in a battle between the two hottest teams in the league. It’s possible that series served as a preview for the upcoming league championship series, but both teams will have to get through their division opponents first when the playoffs begin Sept. 6.
Everett’s win in the first game of the series snapped a 15-game winning streak for the Emeralds.
“Playing a good team like Eugene, I think it’s a really good barometer of the type of baseball they’re playing,” said longtime AquaSox broadcaster Pat Dillon. “Eugene obviously is the most successful team in the league record-wise and they’re just good.”
The AquaSox haven’t won a playoff game since winning the league title in 2010. Everett was swept in two games by Vancouver in 2012 and 2013, and failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2011 and 2014.
The 2010 title was just the second title for Everett in league history. The franchise also won the NWL in 1985 while competing as the Everett Giants, then San Francisco’s Class-A affiliate.
The Bellingham Mariners, Seattle’s affiliate for 18 seasons from 1977-1994, won four titles before switching cities with the Everett Giants and becoming the AquaSox. Though technically a different franchise due to different ownership, the Baby M’s were comprised of Mariners prospects, like the AquaSox today.
Unlike this year’s team that relies on a prolific offense, the 2010 team was dominated by its pitching. That Everett pitching staff featured future big-leaguers Stephen Pryor and Yoervis Medina and a three-game cameo from Tom Wilhelmsen.
The only position player to date to make it the majors was catcher Steven Baron who played in four games with the Mariners last season.
In 2010 the Frogs won the first-half title, swept Vancouver 2-0 in the division series and came back after losing the first game to defeat Spokane 2-1 to win the league title.
“I just remember Steven Baron running out there and jumping into (Tyler Burgoon’s) arms and all the guys coming out of the bullpen, and the dugout, and the big celebration,” Dillon said.
This year’s team leads the NWL in most offensive categories, and that’s after losing first-round draft pick Kyle Lewis to a torn ACL in July. Lewis remained with the club in support until undergoing surgery two weeks ago, and his fellow hitters responded in his absence.
“The guys have said, ‘It’s not like we’re a team — it’s like we’re a family,” Dillon said. “We’d do anything for one another. We root for each other,’ and you just see it.”
Everett’s second-half surge is part of an overall trend among Seattle affiliates. Every Mariners affiliate is either currently in first place or won a first-half division title and qualified for the postseason.
This AquaSox team is all but assured of joining their fellow affiliates and hoping to hoist the NWL championship trophy for the first time in six years. Their first chance to win the second-half crown comes Friday as they open a three-game homestand against Vancouver at Everett Memorial Stadium.
“(The AquaSox) do everything that player development people and executives with the Mariners want to see them do,” Dillon said. “These guys may not win it, but boy oh boy, they’re talented, and they’re good and they’re going to grind it out down to the final pitch. Hopefully that’s going to be good enough to win a championship.”
For the latest AquaSox news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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