1916 Cactus Champions Cup
Payson stands tall again, wins third AZL title
Final Scores
Payson 4, Tucson 2 — WP: Charley Hall
Payson 7, Tucson 5 — WP: Bill Burns
Payson 4, Tucson 3 (12) — WP: Nick Cullop
Tucson 6, Payson 4 — WP: George McQuillan
Payson 3, Tucson 2 — WP: Ed Reulbach
Another championship for Payson. Another post-season collapse for Tucson. Granted, the Longhorns were probably the favored team in this series, but most expected the Saguaros to at least extend things out to six or seven games.
The pitching combo of
Charley Hall and
Bill Burns staked Payson out to a 2-0 lead, and Tucson just couldn't fight back into contention. Hall was shaky in Game Three, but teammate
Nick Cullop saved things in the 12th. LF
Guy Zinn hit a two-out, bases loaded single to right field in the bottom of the 12th to score 2B
Jack Barry for the win.
Ty Cobb of Tucson really struggled in the playoffs, batting just .182 (8-for-44), though he did have eight RBIs. In this series, his teammates couldn't bail him out.
Payson's
Tris Speaker also struggled at times in the post-season, recording only 10 hits in 10 games. But he came through in the bottom of the 10th in the decisive Game Five. RF
Danny Moeller and C
Ted Easterly singled ahead of him, and moved up on steals. Speaker then put a frozen rope up the third base line off Tucson hurler
Jake Boultes to bring Moeller home for the series win. Moeller stomped on home plate, and Speaker flew over from first base and knocked him to the ground with a massive celebratory hug. Then the dugout cleared and a pile of Payson players went delirious with joy over winning back the AZL championship.
The 'Horns had a lot more offensive fireworks from guys like Zinn (.371 playoff average), Barry (.345) and Easterly (.351). Of course, having Hall and Burns at the top of the pitching rotation certainly doesn't hurt, either.
So Payson hoists another AZL trophy, the third in their history. Tucson again is left to wonder what if, falling for the third time in four years in the penultimate AZL playoff series. In seven straight years of being top two in the Southern, the Saguaros have just one Cactus Champions Cup to show for it — and may soon be looking for another manager. Payson's manager likely will get another raise...
Arizona League Championships
Prescott: 5
Payson: 3
Bisbee: 2
Nogales: 1
Flagstaffl; 1
Cottonwood: 1
Grand Canyon: 1
Tucson: 1
Phoenix: 1
TOTAL = 16
Cactus Champions Cup appearances (and winning percentage):
Prescott: 6 (.833)
Payson: 4 (.775)
Grand Canyon: 4 (.250)
Tucson: 4 (.250)
Nogales: 3 (.333)
Yuma: 3 (.000)
Bisbee: 2 (1.000)
Flagstaff: 2 (.500)
Cottonwood: 1 (1.000)
Phoenix: 1 (1.000)
Jerome: 1 (.000)
Tombstone: 1 (.000)
Sedona: 0
Kayenta: 0
Carefree/Lake Havasu: 0
Tempe: 0
TOTAL = 32
Past Results
1901:Payson beat Nogales 4 to 2
1902:Nogales beat Grand Canyon 4 to 1
1903:Prescott beat Jerome 4 to 2
1904:Prescott beat Grand Canyon 4 to 2
1905:Bisbee beat Flagstaff 4 to 3
1906:Prescott beat Grand Canyon 4 to 3
1907:Flagstaff beat Tombstone 4 to 3
1908:Cottonwood beat Yuma 4 to 1
1909:Grand Canyon beat Yuma 4 to 3
1910:Prescott beat Nogales 4 to 1
1911:Bisbee beat Prescott 4 to 1
1912:Payson beat Yuma 4 to 1
1913:Prescott beat Tucson 4 to 1
1914:Tucson beat Payson 4 to 2
1915:Phoenix beat Tucson 4 to 2
1916:Payson beat Tucson 4 to 1