Checking The Runner: A Sky Sox Look Back At The 1995 Season

This is the second installment in a season long series that will take a look back at some of the most memorable seasons, players and performances in Sky Sox history.

The 1995 season culminated in the organization's second championship, three years after winning the Pacific Coast League title as a member of the Indians organization. The championship was a tremendous sign for the young Colorado Rockies franchise as the talent on the Sky Sox would contribute to the growth of the franchise during the second half of the decade.

Led by third year manager and former Major Leaguer Brad Mills, the Sky Sox got off to a good start and compiled a first half record of 39-33, good for first place in the South Division. The first place record at the All-Star break assured the Sky Sox of a playoff appearance, their second in a row and fifth in six seasons. In the second half, they posted an almost identical record of 38-33 However, they failed to win the division due to an extraordinary half of baseball by the Tucson Toros, the Triple-A team for the Houston Astros, who posted a post All-Star break record of 50-22 and an overall record of 87-56 to finish ten games ahead of the Sky Sox.

The regular season was highlighted by a Sky Sox record 15-game winning streak from July 8th-24th. They also tied the record set by the '92 team for most consecutive home wins with 11 from July 8th-August 3rd. In addition, they also set a Sky Sox record for most innings played during a home game with 15 during a 9-8 victory over Las Vegas on June 23rd.

The Southern Division championship series pitted the Sky Sox against the red-hot Toros, two teams who had combined to win three of the last four PCL Championships. Tucson won the first game by a score of 7-6 and it looked as if their second half run would continue into the playoffs. However, the Sky Sox proved to be the team on the rise as they swept the next three games, including the last two on the road by a combined score of 18-4.

Their opponent in the PCL Championship would be the Salt Lake Buzz, the top affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Buzz posted a regular season record of 79-65 and advanced to the PCL Championship after defeating the Vancouver Canadians 3-1 in the North Division championship series.

The 1995 PCL Championship Series turned out to be one of the best and most dramatic in the history of the league. Salt Lake prevailed in a closely contested first game by a score of 9-8. The Sky Sox came back to win the next two by a combined score of 21-6 including a 16-4 drubbing in game three, that put them a win away from their second championship. But Salt Lake fought back and won game four by the slim margin of 10-9.

The stage was set for a climactic fifth game, with the Sky Sox holding home field advantage. The Sky Sox scored the first run of the game in the third and held the 1-0 advantage going into the top of the sixth inning. However, The Buzz would plate five in the inning highlighted by a Mike Durant grand slam. The Sky Sox would respond with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, punctuated by a Pedro Castellano three run home run and the game was knotted at five. The Buzz reclaimed the lead with two runs in the top of the seventh, but again the Sky Sox would respond with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

The score remained 7-6 going into the bottom of the ninth and the Sky Sox were on the brink of elimination. With the support of a raucous home crowd behind them, the Sky Sox rallied to tie the score and won the game on a walk-off RBI Single by Jim Tatum, scoring Ced Landrum. The 8-7 victory gave the Sky Sox their second championship in four years. It was the first time in team history that the Sky Sox clinched a playoff series at home. The ninth inning comeback remains one of the greatest moments in Sky Sox history and gave the Rockies organization their first championship at any level.

Perhaps the two most important players to the Sky Sox playoff run were starting pitcher Ryan Hawblitzel and utility man Jim Tatum. Hawblitzel, the future Sky Sox Hall of Famer, posted a 5-3 record and 4.55 ERA during 21 regular season appearances, but went 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA in the playoffs including a heroic relief performance in the deciding fifth game against Salt Lake. Tatum, also a future member of the Sky Sox Hall of Fame, hit .447 over nine postseason games with one home run, eleven RBI's and ten runs scored. He will forever be remembered as "Mr. Clutch" for his series clinching base hit in the '95 Championship Series.

The regular season also produced some of the greatest individual performances in Sky Sox history. Along with future Rockies Craig Counsell, Ellis Burks, Neifi Perez, and current Sky Sox manager Stu Cole, the '95 Sky Sox also featured standout offensive performances from OF Trenidad Hubbard and DH Harvey Pulliam. One of the greatest Sky Sox of all time and a member of the team Hall of Fame, Hubbard enjoyed arguably his best season with the team in '95. He led the PCL in runs scored (102), stolen bases (32), and on-base percentage (.416), ranked second in batting average (.340), third in hits (163), and fourth in total bases (242). He also set the Sky Sox record with a 29-game hitting streak from July 7th-August 8th. Manager Brad Mills referred to Hubbard as the "sparkplug" for '95 Sky Sox during the 2002 Sky Sox Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

While Hubbard provided the lightning for the Sky Sox offense, Harvey Pulliam provided the thunder. He led the PCL in home runs (25), extra base hits (61), RBI (91), slugging percentage (.614), and was so feared that opposing pitchers intentionally walked him a Sky Sox record ten times.

The pitching staff was anchored by reliever Scott Fredrickson and starting pitcher A.J. Sager. Fredrickson posted a record of 11-3 out of the bullpen and led the team in wins and ERA (3.45). Sager posted a record of 8-4 with a 3.50 ERA over a team high 133.2 innings and led the team with 80 strikeouts.

The 1995 season was one of the most successful and exciting in Sky Sox history. The championship was the first for an affiliate of the Rockies at any level and showed the progress the organization had made in just three years of existence. The players on this team would go on to solidify the Rockies as one of the up and coming franchises in Major League Baseball during the second half of the decade.

Check back throughout the season for more look backs at the standout seasons, players, and performances in Sky Sox history.