Akron's Jake Dittler tossed seven shutout innings in the deciding Game 4 of the Eastern League Finals. (Ken Carr) MiLB Headlines Javs edge Dogs, win AFL title LA's Mitchell wins Stenson Award Desme named AFL MVP Path of the Pros: Ian Kinsler No surgery needed for Strasburg New BayBears logo reflects past Promo Preview: Charitable deeds Leake ends whirlwind year strong Double-A All-Stars named Rickwood Classic marks milestone AFL Championship preview D-backs get Heilman from Cubs ADVERTISEMENT

Print this page   E-mail this page

Sept. 1 -- The Portland Sea Dogs clinched their fourth Eastern League North Division title since 1997 with a thrilling 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Altoona Curve. Portland got some help in bagging the division as Norwich beat Trenton, which was hot on the heels of the Sea Dogs, in a 13-0 blowout.

Sept. 2 -- Nearly 12 years after one Jim Abbott tossed a no-hitter in the Major Leagues, another Jim Abbott came very close to duplicating the feat in the Minor Leagues. This Jim Abbott -- a 6-foot-3 right-hander who hails from Michigan, just like the 10-year big-league veteran who pitched without a right hand -- tossed 8 1/3 innings of four-hit ball as New Britain blanked Binghamton, 2-0.

Sept. 4 -- Shelley Duncan once again powered Trenton to victory, clubbing his league-leading 34th homer as the Thunder clinched a playoff berth with their 7-5 victory over the Harrisburg Senators.

Sept. 4 -- Altoona took a step closer to claiming the final spot in the Eastern League playoffs after Josh Bonifay slugged a game-winning three-run homer. The blast came in the bottom of the 15th inning and delivered a 4-1 victory over the Baysox, the team the Curve were trying to bump out of the postseason. Altoona starter Hansel Izquierdo also turned in a clutch performance, striking out seven over 10 innings of one-run ball.

Sept. 5 -- It took every game on the schedule, but Altoona finally made it into the playoffs, taking the last spot on the last day of the season by beating Bowie, 4-2. Craig Stansberry powered the Curve's offense with a pair of solo homers and three runs scored as the Pittsburgh Pirates' Double-A affiliate reached the playoffs for the third straight year.

Sept. 6 -- Brandon Moss and Cory Morris took home the final Offensive Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week awards in the Eastern League. Moss, a shortstop for the Portland Sea Dogs, batted an even .500 over the final seven games of the season, including a perfect 4-for-4 night against Altoona on Aug. 30. Morris was 1-0 in two starts for Bowie, but the 26-year-old right-hander got a no-decision in what may have been his most overpowering effort of the season. He fanned a season-high 11 batters in six scoreless innings against Altoona on Sept. 4.

Sept. 7 -- Portland kicked off the EL Playoffs in grand fashion as Chad Spann gave the Sea Dogs a spectacular come-from-behind victory over Trenton, 5-3. The Sea Dogs were down 3-1 with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth when Spann blasted an offering from Thunder closer Justin Pope over the tall left-field fence to win the ballgame.
Listen to Spann's slam

Portland's Chad Spann came up big on back-to-back nights, clubbing game-winning home runs. (Portland Sea Dogs)

Sept. 8 -- He did it again. A day after his grand slam gave Portland a walk-off win, Chad Spann's tie-breaking two-run homer led the Sea Dogs to a 5-2 triumph over Trenton -- and put them a win away from a spot in the Eastern League Championship Series.

Sept. 9 -- Tom Gorzelanny not only kept Altoona from getting swept out of the playoffs, the left-hander dominated Akron in the process. The 23-year-old struck out a franchise-record 13 batters in the Curve's 3-0 victory over the Aeros.

Sept. 10 -- After dropping the first two games of its best-of-five series against Portland, Trenton forced a decisive Game 5 when leadoff hitter Michael Coleman smashed a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Thunder a 3-2 win over the Sea Dogs.
Listen to Coleman's walk-off job

Sept. 10 -- Like Trenton, Altoona fell behind 0-2 in its best-of-five series, and like the Thunder the Curve came back to force a decisive Game 5 as Hansel Izquierdo's arm and Josh Bonifay's bat led the team to a 6-3 victory over the Aeros. Izquierdo worked 6 1/3 solid innings, limiting Akron to three runs on five hits while fanning five. Bonifay delivered a run-scoring single with two outs in the fifth to extend the Curve's lead to 4-1. After Akron rallied for two in the top of the seventh, Bonifay smacked a two-run homer in the bottom half to restore Altoona's three-run cushion.

Sept. 11 -- After allowing the Thunder to creep back into a series it led, 2-0, Portland finally drove the nail into Trenton's coffin. Jeremy West's fifth-inning homer helped lift the Sea Dogs to a 6-2 victory in Game 5 -- and a spot in the Eastern League Championship Series. West's two-run shot complemented his RBI single in the first inning as Portland got two hits apiece from seven of its nine starters.
Audio: West hits Portland's third homer of the game

Sept. 11 -- The Altoona Curve built a 3-0 lead by the fourth inning, promptly lost it, went ahead again in the fifth, but then watched the Akron Aeros score a run in each of the next three innings for a 6-4 victory -- and a trip to the Eastern League Championship Series. Jonathan Van Every went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Pat Osborn was 4-for-5 with an RBI as the Aeros finally ushered the Curve, a team that fought incredibly hard to get in and stay in the playoffs, out of postseason action.

Sept. 11 -- The Portland Sea Dogs' parent club, the Boston Red Sox, got some encouraging news when first-round pick Craig Hansen, who was rehabbing a dead arm at Portland, reached 97 mph on the radar gun, giving the Sea Dogs an extra bullet for their bullpen in the upcoming Eastern League Championship Series -- and allowing the Red Sox to breathe a sigh of relief over the future of their prospect.

Sept. 13 -- Jon Lester labored through six innings, cracking a fingernail along the way, but collected the win as Portland took Game 1 of the Eastern League Championship Series, beating Akron, 6-4.

Sept. 14 -- Akron broke a trend in the 2005 EL postseason by becoming the first road team to get a win. The Aeros evened the best-of-five series at 1-1, edging the Portland Sea Dogs, 4-3.
Audio: Panther's blast gives Akron a 4-3 lead

Sept. 16 -- The Akron Aeros made the most of their light offense to scratch out a 2-0 win over the Portland Sea Dogs in Game 3 of the ELCS. Thanks to tough pitching by Brian Slocum and three Aeros relievers, Jonathan Van Every's two-run double in the seventh off Anibal Sanchez gave Akron all the runs it would need to take a 2-1 series lead.
Audio: Van Every wins batter of power vs. power

Sept. 17 -- Jake Dittler fired seven scoreless innings to lead Akron to a 4-1 win over Portland -- and the Eastern League Championship. The Aeros took the series, 3-1. Nathan Palmer, who spent most of the season with the Kinston Indians of the Carolina League, was named the Eastern League Playoffs Most Valuable Player as he hit .380 (12-for-31) with two triples, two doubles, a home run and five RBIs. The Aeros staff held the Sea Dogs scoreless through 23 2/3 innings before Hanley Ramirez broke through with an RBI double in the ninth -- but it was too little, too late for Portland.
Audio: "Akron has won the Eastern League Championship!"

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

Print this page   E-mail this page