1915 Divisional Playoffs — Northern League
Another barn-burner: Lumberjacks win dramatic series
Final Scores:
Flagstaff 7, Payson 6 (12) — WP: Hippo Vaughn
Payson 10, Flagstaff 2 — WP: Charley Hall
Payson 5, Flagstaff 4 — WP: Tex Pruiett
Flagstaff 3, Payson 2 (10) — WP: Sherry Smith
Payson 7, Flagstaff 1 — WP: Charley Hall
Flagstaff 6, Payson 2 — WP: Ed Summers
Flagstaff 2, Payson 1 — WP: Sherry Smith
(Author's Note: What happened with this series is one of the reasons I love this game. As you read, think Yankees-Red Sox in 2004)
Just like the 1914 NL series between these two teams, this one went seven games. And seven pretty thrilling games at that. Two of the first four went to extra innings, with Flagstaff prevailing in both.
Payson had a 3-2 series lead but couldn't close things out, with Game Seven coming down to the final at-bats by the Lumberjacks.
Flagstaff trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the ninth, getting pretty much nothing going against Payson starter
Bill Burns (two hits allowed). Burns struck out
Sherry Smith swinging to start the ninth. Two outs to go. But CF
Lee Magee singled down the third-base line to put the tying runner aboard. That brought 3B
Harry Steinfeldt to the plate, and he played the role of
Aaron F***in' Boone, driving a two-run homer into the seats in deep left field. Game over. Series over. Flagstaff is on to the Cactus Champions Cup. Payson is left to ponder what could have been.
As it turns out, Bill Burns is pretty much the goat for this series. He blew three close games, all in Flag's final at-bats. (Was
Grady Little's grandpa managing the Longhorns?).
The 'Jacks trailed Payson 5-1 going into the bottom of the ninth of Game One. In this one, Burns walked 2B
Steve Yerkes to lead off. Then C
Roger Bresnahan and RF
Mike Mitchell singled back to back to bring home one score. After an error that plated another run, PH
Harry Bay singled to right to make it a 5-4 game. Magee then hit a sac fly to tie things up and force extra innings.
Payson went ahead 6-5 in the 11th but couldn't hold that either. A
Jack Lewis RBI double in the bottom of the 11th (again against Burns -- take him out already!!) tied the game 6-6. Flag finally won it in the 12th on an RBI single by Yerkes (Steinfeldt, the Game Seven hero, had reached to start the inning and scored the winning run). You know who was pitching — Bill Burns.
In the Game Four extra innings win, Payson jumped to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Burns looked ready for redemption. But a Yerkes RBI triple tied things up in the top of the sixth. The game stayed 2-2 until the top of the 10th. Burns got the first two batters out but gave up a double to Hero Boy Steinfeldt. LF
Mike Mitchell then doubled to the gap in left center, scoring Steiny. Pitcher
Sherry Smith sat the Longhorns down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th and that game went into the books.
Hero = Harry Steinfeldt, Steve Yerkes, Sherry Smith. Goat = Bill Burns and Payson manager.