2004 Scrappers Remember Championship Season

It may be 10 summers ago in the past, but Mike Sarbaugh, current Cleveland Indians third base coach, hasn't forgotten his lone season in the Mahoning Valley.

For good reason, he looks back quite fondly on the 2004 Scrappers.

"Every time I think of the '04 team, it puts a smile on my face," he said. "It was a special year." 

Special indeed.

The 2004 Mahoning Valley Scrappers - led by first-year manager Sarbaugh - captured the New York-Penn League championship, the club's only NYPL title in its 15-year history.

Sneaking into the playoffs as a wildcard on the last day of the regular season, the Scrappers (46-34) swept the Auburn Doubledays in the first round before beating the Tri-City Valley Cats in the championship series.

"Shoot, it's been ten years now and I still remember it like it was yesterday," said Wyatt Toregas, the Scrappers catcher that season who eventually debuted for the Indians in 2009. "We just went and put everything out on the line and whatever happened happened. It was really kind of cool."

The club featured nine future-major league players, including regulars Toregas, Chris Gimenez (third base), Argenis Reyes (outfield), Tony Sipp (starting pitcher) and Aaron Laffey (starting pitcher).

Having pitched with the Tribe from 2009-2012, Sipp - now a reliever with the Houston Astros - knows the significance of what was accomplished.

"I've never been on a winning team really, not even in high school or college," he said. "So for me, it was my first taste of going all the way with anything. It was really just about having fun and having 25 guys come together as a team."

They did so especially in the dog days of summer, going 23-12 from Aug. 1-Sept. 4 before posting a perfect 4-0 playoff record.

"We got really good pitching and timely hitting," Sarbaugh said. "Everybody knows that's the important part of winning any game or series - to have those big moments."

And it all ended in celebration on Sept. 13 inside Tri-City's Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, N.Y.

"I remember post game in the locker room was great," said Tim Montgomery, a Scrappers starting outfielder that season. "We went to a bar/restaurant and were singing 'We Are The Champions' - the whole deal. 

"It was just a good time and a great season."

And one 10 years later that still holds plenty of meaning.

"At the time, it was just elation - all fun and games and 'Let's go party,'" Toregas, now 31, said. "Whereas now I realize, man, that was really something cool because that type of thing doesn't just happen every year."

Be sure to check-out the team website throughout the season for in-depth stories on the 2004 Scrappers.