10 Years Later: Timing Was Everything For '04 Squad

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers won the 2004 New York-Penn League championship for the club's only title in its 15-year history. In a series of stories throughout the season, '04 manager Mike Sarbaugh and some of his former players remember that campaign 10 years later.

Previously featured:

2004 Scrappers Remember Championship Season

'04 Scrappers Clicked On and Off the Field

Mahoning Valley Fans Memorable to '04 Team

 

It was August 11, 2004 - a Wednesday - and while watching his team mob Brian Finegan following the shortstop's walk-off infield single that lifted the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to a 7-6 win against the Jamestown Jammers at Eastwood Field, manager Mike Sarbaugh felt the tides turning.

Although the victory only improved the Scrappers record to 26-27, it was their fourth in a row. Afterwards, the first-year manager gave an optimistic comment.

"It's been a funny year. It's been an up-and-down year," Sarbaugh told Youngstown newspaper The Vindicator. "Hopefully here at the end, we can stay on an even path and maybe make it interesting for the wild card."

As fate would have it, the 2004 Scrappers (42-34) did just that. 

Sarbaugh's squad went 19-11 in August as well as 3-1 in September to close the campaign. That 22-12 stretch enabled Mahoning Valley to clinch the wild card spot on the regular season's final day.

"It was almost a tale of two teams really," said Sarbaugh, now the Cleveland Indians third base coach. "The first half of the season we really struggled and we just couldn't put it together. 

"Then something clicked in the last 30 games. We got on a really good roll, played good baseball and the guys really stepped up."

The Scrappers won nine of 10 games from Aug. 8-18 and eight of 10 from Aug. 22-31. In all, they went 20-7 from Aug.8-Sept. 4.

"From the get-go we had a lot of good players, but it was just one of those things where we got hot at the right time," said Tim Montgomery, a '04 Scrappers outfielder. "Everyone was playing well and hitting was contagious."

Leading the charge was Mike Butia with a .315 batting average, Argenis Reyes with a club record 101 hits (.312), Chris Gimenez with 10 homeruns (.300) and Wyatt Toregas with 48 RBIs (.294).

"We had really good, clutch hitting and started getting really good pitching too," '04 starting pitcher Ryan Knippschild said.

Top hurlers from 2004 were Knippschild (4-3, 3.93 ERA), Tony Sipp (3-1, 3.16) Aaron Laffey (3-1, 1.24) and Dan Cevette (3-0, 1.25). Roger Lincoln (3.73 ERA), Matt Knox (2.25) and Mark Harris (3.03, 13 saves) were the top bullpen arms.

"I don't think we were the most dominant team, but at the end, something kind of clicked and we all came together," said Sipp, now with the Houston Astros. "Every game it seemed like there was someone different stepping up making a game changing play."

However, Toregas remembers things being rough early on as the Scrappers were just 20-22 through June and July.

"We really didn't come together as a team until about the last month," said Toregas, the Scrappers catcher from that season. "I think we had an 11-game losing streak and, for a lot of guys, it was a really long season. 

"Then all of a sudden we were winning like every single game we played. It was crazy."

The Scrappers took over sole possession of the wild card on Sept. 3 with a 4-2 win at Batavia as Laffey pitched six strong innings. They then clinched a playoff spot the next day, defeating Batavia 7-1 in the last game of the regular season behind five solid innings from Knippschild and three hits by Gimenez.

In turn, the Scrappers earned a three-game series with the top-seeded Auburn Doubledays (50-24) in the first round of the postseason.

"We all had our ups and downs with it being our first year," Finegan said. "But we all came together at the right time, got hot and rolled right through those playoffs."

Coming soon: Scrappers sweep through Auburn, Tri-City to capture championship.