To BE the BEST, You have to BEAT the BEST

When TPG won the last game of the regular season to clinch the 6th and final playoff spot, we knew only one thing for certain. For us to win our first ever SLAM championship, we would have to go though the top powers of this league. As the 6th seed, our round one match-up would be against four-time SLAM champion SOM/SHCA (3 seed). If we won that series we would have to face three-time SLAM champion Gensler (2 seed) in the semi-finals.  And after RAMSA's dramatic victory against KPF, we now have to face two-time defending SLAM champion RAMSA (1 seed).

But how did we get there?  Hard work, great defense, clutch hitting, and most importantly, having fun.  It started with a rubber chicken, and continues building each game as more and more people from the office come out to cheer.  In the quarter finals against SOM/SHCA, TPG lost game 1, only to rebound and win games 2 & 3. 

As the Semi-finals against Gensler began, everything turned up a notch.  TPG had played in the Semi-Finals as recently as 2010, but had only been to the championships once (2002), having never won it all.  In the first game TPG jumped out to an early lead only to watch Gensler score 6 runs in the 3rd on their way to an 8-5 victory.  Game 2 was a nail-biter with Gensler clinging to a 2-0 lead through the first five innings.  With a clutch 3 run rally in the bottom of the 6th, TPG took the lead and held on for a dramatic 3-2 victory tying the series at 1. 

Last night, August 28th, 2012, TPG took the field again for the deciding game 3 against Gensler.  Unlike the SOM/SHCA showing in Game 3 (where half of their team decided to not show up for the game), Gensler came ready to play.  They even got to the field before TPG.  And after TPG scored 2 runs in the 1st, Gensler roared right back with 5 runs and held a 5-2 lead at the end of the first inning.  But TPG had a secret weapon.  We had the support of an entire office.  And when the crowd (thanks everyone who showed up to cheer us on!) arrived, the momentum turned back in our favor, and before we knew it, we had a 4 run lead with only 1 inning to play.  Shut down defense, 3 outs, and the game was won, the series clinched, and a birth in the 2012 championships against RAMSA confirmed.

Semi-Finals Series MVP was Omar Bustamante for hitting the game winning RBI in BOTH games 2 & 3!  Well done Omar B.

See you in the finals.