The Eugene Emeralds nearly blew it.
With Eugene up 4-2 and a pair of Vancouver Canadians in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, the Canadians thought they had tied the game with a two-run triple. But the Emeralds appealed, throwing over to third, and to the surprise of everyone at PK Park, the runner who tied the game was called out for missing the third base bag, suddenly ending the game.
Canadians manager Donnie Murphy threw his helmet on the ground and yelled at the umpires over the call as the Emeralds celebrated their seventh consecutive victory, 4-3 over the Canadians.
Vancouver righty Brian Rapp made his first start since being signed from the New York Boulders of the independent Frontier League. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Sean Roby singled off him, and Armani Smith hit a long opposite-field double that gave the Emeralds an early 1-0 lead. Smith has been hot since getting promoted from Low-A San Jose.
The Emeralds left a runner in scoring position in each of the second and third innings.
Kai-Wei Teng made his second start for the Emeralds since his suspension for doctoring his glove. Control has been an issue for him this year, and he promptly walked a batter in the first inning after allowing a single. But he settled down, striking out five in the first three innings with no other baserunners.
Logan Wyatt nearly homered in the fourth, settling for a leadoff double. It was just his fifth extra-base hit of the year, as his power stroke has yet to match his impressive on-base skills. Franklin Labour, fresh off being named the High-A West Player of the Week, then doubled in Wyatt to make it 2-0.
Teng settled in, controlling the strike zone while retiring 12 consecutive batters. The streak was finally broken on an error by Will Wilson, and the Canadians took until one out in the sixth to collect their first hit since the first inning.
Teng looked like he might unravel, allowing a single and issuing a four-pitch walk to load the bases, but he recorded a groundout to get out of the jam. He wound up striking out nine and only walking two in six scoreless innings, a big step in the right direction for the Giants’ No. 18 prospect.
With two outs in the seventh, Eugene reliever Ryan Walker gave up a bloop RBI single as the Canadians cut the lead in half. He struck out the side though, avoiding any further damage.
The Emeralds went just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the first six innings, but Wilson helped the fans breathe a little easier with a long shot to left field in the seventh. The Vancouver outfielder didn’t even move as the Emeralds regained a two-run lead. It was Wilson’s third straight game with a homer.
With two outs, Wyatt came through with his second double of the game to make it 4-1. It was his sixth extra-base hit of the season after coming into the day with just four.
Chris Wright, who’s been utterly dominant this season, gave up a solo homer in the ninth to cut the lead to 4-2. After a walk and a single, Wyatt made a spectacular catch on a line drive, but then made a throwing error to allow the runners to move into scoring position.
With the Emeralds an out away from winning, Wright appeared to give up a two-run triple that tied the game, inducing groans from Emeralds fans.
After some laboring, the umpire made a call that shocked the crowd. Wright tossed the ball over to third, and the runner who had tied the game was called out for missing the third base bag. The Vancouver manager Murphy was irate, throwing his helmet on the field and giving the umpire a piece of his mind. While the Canadians watched in disbelief, the Emeralds celebrated their seventh consecutive victory.
First-round catcher Patrick Bailey returned to the lineup after missing the last series with back stiffness. He continued his struggles despite the team’s win, going 0-for-4 and seeing his average plummet to .181.
The Emeralds (27-15) will continue with Game 2 of the series on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m.
