The 2015 California League Champion Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
(Photo courtesy of @RCQuakes)

One strike. That was all that was needed to send the High Desert Mavericks to the California League Championship Series – the Advanced Single-A Cal League’s equivalent of the World Series – and send the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes home for the winter.

But that strike never came. Instead were four pitches out of the strike zone on an 0-2 count with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Quakes trailing the High Desert Mavericks by a score of 5-4. The batter was Quakes left fielder Jacob Scavuzzo and that at-bat, that one base on balls, would alter the course of history for the 22-year-old franchise.

By now the story of what followed Scavuzzo epic walk is old news. It was followed by a single by Cody Bellinger, another walk by Tyler Ogle and a single by pinch-hitter Delvis Morales that deflected off the glove of Mavs third baseman Alberto Triunfel just far enough to allow Scavuzzo to score from third base and Bellinger from second base for one of the most incredible (and unlikely) walk-off wins in baseball history. Perhaps the most ironic part about it is that it was Morales’ only at-bat in the playoffs.

The win gave the Quakes the Cal League South Division title and a ticket to the Cal League Championship Series to face the San Jose Giants, who themselves pulled off a remarkable Cal League North Division Series title after being down two games to none.

Right from the get-go it was obvious that Scavuzzo’s now historic walk and the Quakes subsequent win in Game-5 of the Division Series had changed the entire momentum for the Quakes; momentum which they carried into Game-1 of the Championship Series on Thursday night with 12-3 pounding of the Giants at LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga at the hands of 21-year-old Long Beach, CA native Chase De Jong.

That momentum carried over into Game-2 of the Series on Friday night – also at LoanMart Field – when 22-year-old Santa Clarita, CA native Scott Barlow took a perfect game into the fifth inning in what would eventually be a 4-3 Quakes win – the closest that the Giants would ever get to the Cal League South first-half winners.

That momentum culminated on Saturday night at Municipal Stadium in San Jose, CA – exactly 378 miles north of LoanMart Field – when the Quakes completed a three-game sweep of the Giants in the best-of-five series. On the mound for the Quakes was 22-year-old Riverside, CA native Trevor Oaks, who tossed 7.1 scoreless innings in the eventual 5-0 shutout of a completely demoralized Giants team. The victory gave the Quakes their first Cal League Championship since 1994 and the first ever as the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate, which began in 2011.

Chase De Jong, Trevor Oaks and Scott Barlow – the Quakes starting (and winning) pitchers from the three Cal League Championship Series games. (Photo courtesy of @ChaseDeJong )

Although the Championship Series had many stars, the MVP trophy went to 20-year-old top first base prospect Cody Bellinger, who went 6 for 14 (.429) with a home run, three doubles, three runs scored and three RBIs in the three Championship games.