Success On and Off Field in 2011 for Dust Devils
On the field, the Dust Devils were clearly the class of the Northwest League's East Division. After spending the first month or so of the season jockeying for position with Boise and Spokane in the first-half championship race, the turning point for Tri-City was a five game home series against the Eugene Emeralds July 13th - 17th. The Dust Devils won four of the games against an Emeralds team that came into the series 21-4. Then, after winning two of three against Yakima and splitting the first two games in a series at Spokane, Tri-City starter Christian Bergman essentially wrapped up the first half title and a spot in the playoffs with perhaps his most memorable outing in a season full of them, pitching seven scoreless innings in a 3-1 win in front of a sellout crowd.
In his next start, Bergman would record his first of two complete game shutouts on the year. No other pitcher in the league would record even one - and Vancouver's Justin Nicolino was the only other pitcher to even throw a complete game. In all, Tri-City collected 10 shutouts in 2011, tying a Northwest League record. Bergman would be named the league's all-star right-handed starting pitcher, while Kenneth Roberts was the all-star left-handed relief pitcher. Freddie Ocasio was named Manager of the Year for the second time (2009).
With a playoff berth wrapped up, the Dust Devils were playing for pride in the second half of the season, and they did not disappoint. They finished with the same record as they did in the first half, 22-16, and again won the half-season title. On September 5th and 6th they dominated the Boise Hawks, outscoring them 15-1, and won the East Division Championship Series and advanced to the NWL Championship Series for the third time in five years.
There was a lot to cheer about at Gesa Stadium in 2011, and Dust Devils fans cheered in record numbers. For the fifth year in a row, the team set a single-season attendance record, as this year's total of 85,953 topped last year by 1,032 fans. It was the seventh consecutive year of increased attendance for the Dust Devils. In addition, the season finale crowd of 3,811 was a single-game record at Gesa Stadium. The Dust Devils once again took advantage of the home field advantage afforded by Gesa Stadium, finishing a league-best 28-10 at home, with Tri-City pitchers posting an impressive 2.05 ERA and .211 batting average against.
The Dust Devils will return to the field in June of 2012 and will look forward to another season of winning baseball and record crowds. The 2012 schedule is expected to be released soon. Ticket packages for 2012 are on sale now and can be purchased at the Dust Devils' office, by phone at (509) 544-8789, or at www.dustdevilsbaseball.com.
Dust Devils Baseball... "It Will Blow You Away!"