"Remember Baggese Brothers!"
Throughout the years, whenever faced with an enormous seventh inning deficit, the team could always count on Coach Apple taking up residency in the third base coaching box, chanting "Remember Baggese Brothers!" as a rallying cry. That call for a last gasp rally against overwhelming odds emanated from this game, forever known in AWA lore as The Comeback. Though ultimately resulting in only a tie game, this game still resonates as the ultimate come-from-behinder.
AWA was fighting for its playoff life, sitting in fourth place as the team prepared to take on Baggese Brothers Shell, undefeated and sitting in first place. A loss here would doom AWA's pennant hopes for good.
The team was at a disadvantage at the outset as starting pitcher Earl Yagi was nursing an injury, and outfielders John Koeplin and Steve Barrett were not available to start. So Ken Morse was given there pitching duties, while infielders Jeff Applegate and Dave Jackson found themselves playing out of position in the outfield. Ken was just getting his pitching legs under him in the top of the first when Baggese Brothers turned four singles and a tremendous three-run homer into a 5-0 lead.
Thanks to some shoddy fielding by Baggese Brothers, AWA was able to come back and tie it up in the second. With two out and Dave Jackson and Mike Applegate aboard on singles, Dennis Hawkins punched a seeing-eye single past second to drive in the team's first run. Ken then followed with a hit to center, scoring Mike. Pat Koeplin then drove a sinking liner to right that the outfielder dropped for an error, scoring Dennis and sending Ken to third. Gary Matsushita then tapped a slow chopper to short that he legged out for a hit. The hurried throw to first was wild, which allowed Pat to take third. Tom Sukup's grounder to first was booted by the first baseman, allowing Pat to score the tying run.
But Baggese Brothers wasted no time getting right back on top in the third, scoring four times, two of them coming on a long home run to left. There hot bats could not cover their sloppy fielding as AWA scored twice in the bottom of the inning, aided by by two errors. After three innings, AWA trailed 9-7.
As AWA tried to keep the game close, Ken was still getting knocked around. In the top of the fourth, Baggese Brothers added three more runs for a 12-7 lead. Further disaster was averted in the top of the fifth when Dave, playing out of position, made a sensational back-handed running catch in deep right to rob Baggese Brothers of a three-run homer.
Mike's solo home run in the bottom of the fifth made it 12-8.
With two innings to go and the game still close enough, the decision was made to put Earl into the game to pitch. As long as he didn't have to run, he would be okay, and Earl, who was managing this game in Neil's absence, felt this was our best chance. He promptly got tagged for a run in the sixth. In the home half of the inning, after two were out, singles by Gary and Tom, followed by a walk to Tony, loaded the bases. With Rain Nunez, who was hitless, coming up, John was put in as a inch-hitter. And he came through with a hit to left, scoring two and closing the gap to 13-10 heading into the seventh.
If Earl could just hold them, we had a chance.
Famous last words. Earl was tattooed. Eight hits, including three doubles, led to six runs. The score was now 19-10 and all was lost.
Mike and Jeff opened the seventh with singles and each moved up a base when Earl flied out to deep right. Ken then hit a long fly to center, which was corralled for the second out. Mike scored easily to make it 19-11. That brought up Pat, who bounced a routine grounder to short. The throw to first was low, but an easily catchable ball that was dropped by the first baseman. Jeff scored to make it 19-12. Gary walked and Tom lined a hit to right, scoring Pat. Tony then blooped a short fly that dropped in front of the left fielder. Gary crossed the plate to make it 19-14.
At this point the Baggese Brothers manager called a summit at the mound to calm the troops and to remind them that they needed only one more out. But the message was lost on the pitcher, who promptly walked John to load the bases. Dave then lashed a hit to left, scoring two more runs. Mike then came up for the second time in the inning, this time as the potential tying run. The AWA third baseman tapped a slow bouncer into the hole wide of third. The shortstop gloved the ball, but then dropped it as Mike reached safely. The bases were loaded again. Jeff walked to force in a run, making it 19-17.
Earl then stepped up to hit, still dragging his injured leg behind him. The stands were now filled by the teams who were scheduled to play the next game, and everyone was rooting against the undefeated team who was in first place. Amongst a cacophony of hooting and hollering, Earl picked out his pitch and send a screamer into right field. Dave trotted in from third and Mike slid in right behind him and just ahead of the throw. The game was tied!
Jeff and Earl each moved up a base on the throw home, so, with first base open, they decided to intentionally walk Ken, who already had three hits on the night, to load the bases. The stage was set for Pat to complete the miraculous rally, but the AWA outfielder flied out to center. We had extra innings.
The game was played until the ninth. Baggese Brothers didn't have much after that. A leadoff single in the eighth was left stranded, and they could nothing with a two-out double in the ninth. AWA's best chance to win it came in the bottom of the eighth when Tom reached third on an error, but was left stranded when Tony popped out and John flied out. The team went out 1-2-3 in the ninth and a tie was declared.
Fast forward 23 years to the year 2000, and as AWA faced a large seventh inning deficit, Coach Apple took up his place in the third base coaching box and started barking, "Remember Baggese Brothers!" Not a single player in the AWA dugout had been around the team in 1977 and none of them had ever heard of Baggese Brothers.
No one knew what the hell he was talking about. But now you do.
