So I was away for five days and while I was gone, I was unable to update everyone on the Jackson Generals championship series. Since I've been covering the Mariners minor leagues all season long, I would hate to not just get this on the record.
They lost that series!
After taking a 1-0 series lead after a masterful performance by James Paxton, the Generals struggled to score runs in games 2, 3, and 4 and lost the series to the Mobile BayBears 3-1.
After James Gillheeney had an awful game two start, Taijuan Walker came in to save the say for game three by pitching 5.1 innings of 5-hit, 0-run, 0-walk baseball with 9 strikeouts. After being very concerned for Walker down the stretch of the season, he ended it on an extremely positive note that reminds us how damn good of a prospect he really is. The only pitcher out of the M's top 3 that didn't end on a high note was Danny Hultzen. But there's plenty of time for him to get better too.
The Generals held a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, but two unearned runs scored against Yoervis Medina and forced a tie that was broken in the bottom of the tenth when Matt Davidson hit a 2-run walkoff home run against Jonathan Arias.
The fourth and final game of the series uneventfully ended Jackson's season when a solo shot in the third inning for Mobile's Jonathan Griffin was the only run of the ball game and the Generals lost 3-1 after managing just three hits in the final game.
They don't have to hang their heads low though. Sure, they lost the championship (that nobody else cares about but them) and their best players are going to Tacoma but at least we got to see a few more great starts from Walker and Paxton. Good memories.