The champagne flowed Saturday night at T-Bones Stadium as the T-Bones won the American Association championship. The score was 5-3 tonight, with the T-Bones winning the series 3-1. (Photo by Steve Rupert)The championship trophy was filled with a liquid on Saturday night at T-Bones stadium, after the T-Bones won the American Association championship. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
For the first time in the club’s history, the Kansas City T-Bones won the championship of the American Association.
The victory came in a 5-3 game Saturday night at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
The T-Bones needed only four games of the best-of-five series with the St. Paul Saints.
Tonight’s game included a two-run home run in the sixth inning by Alay Lago of the T-Bones.
The T-Bones scored first in the game in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Nieto.
St. Paul came back to take a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Reliever Marcus Crescentini was brought in for Jared Mortensen. Later, Cody Winiarski pitched for the T-Bones.
The Lago home run in the sixth brought the score to 4-3.
The T-Bones scored again in the seventh inning on a ground-rule double.
Noah Perio Jr., who hit the RBI double, was named the most valuable player of the series.
This was the last out of the game Saturday night, just before the T-Bones’ celebration began. (Photo by Steve Rupert)The T-Bones ran to the pitcher’s mound to celebrate their championship on Saturday night at T-Bones Stadium. (Photo by Steve Rupert)The T-Bones celebrated their championship on Saturday night at T-Bones Stadium. (Photo by Steve Rupert)Celebrating after the T-Bones’ championship victory on Saturday night. (Photo by Steve Rupert)Celebrating after the T-Bones’ championship victory on Saturday night. (Photo by Steve Rupert)Celebrating after the T-Bones’ championship victory on Saturday night. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from the T-Bones’ 5-3 win over the St. Paul Saints on Saturday night at T-Bones Stadium. (Photo by Steve Rupert)Where was third base? It came loose in this play, which may have been difficult for fans to follow on Saturday night at the T-Bones Stadium. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. Frank White, right, first base coach for the T-Bones. (Photo by Steve Rupert)More scenes from Saturday’s T-Bones’ victory over the St. Paul Saints. Bill Sobbe, third base coach and pitching coach. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Todd Cunningham hit a solo home run and a grand slam for the T-Bones Friday night over the St. Paul Saints in the American Association Championship Series game. They play again at 7:05 p.m. at T-Bones Stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Dierking, Kansas City T-Bones)
A solo home run and a grand slam by Todd Cunningham locked in a 7-3 win over the St. Paul Saints Friday evening. The T-Bones went into the game with the American Association Championship Series tied at one.
Tommy Collier struck out the game’s lead-off batter, but the second batter, Kyle Barrett, smashed a 2-0 pitch over the right field fence for a home run that gave the Saints an early 1-0 lead. Collier, however, limited the damage to one run, leaving runners at the corners.
In the second, a pair of RBI singles for Joey Wong and Barrett upped the Saints lead to 3-0.
Cunningham smashed a long ball to put the T-Bones on the board in the bottom of the third.
In the bottom of the sixth, Adrian Nieto doubled and was brought home when Alay Lago hit into a fielder’s choice.
An RBI single to left by Ryan Brett tied it up 3-3 when Keith Curcio scored.
Then, with two outs and bases loaded, Cunningham, who led the league in batting average for a good part of the season, connected with a 1-0 pitch and sent it over the right field wall for the T-Bones first grand slam of 2018.
Cunningham’s grand slam propelled the T-Bones to a 7-3 lead over the Saints. St. Paul wasn’t able to produce anything else in the game, ending it with a final of 7-3 Kansas City.
Two-time Rawlings Pitcher of the Month Tommy Collier worked eight innings, six of them scoreless after giving up the three early-game runs. Reliever Cody Winiarski came in to finish off the ninth.
Now with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five American Association Championship Series, the T-Bones have an opportunity to win it Saturday evening.
First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. at T-Bones Stadium. Tickets are available for $8 at the Box Office or tbonesbaseball.com.
