Akron Aeros 2009 Eastern League Champions

AKRON AEROS 2009 EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Party!!!

The Akron Aeros are 2009 Eastern League Champions!

By defeating Connecticut 10-6 on Saturday Night, the Aeros ended the minor league season on a joyous note as they topped off a spectacular season.

It was domination from the beginning as the Aeros established themselves as one of the best teams and ran away with their division.

And now, they are champions.

It was over early when they put together a five run 4th and followed it up with three more runs in fifth and sixth innings. Connecticut came firing back in the final two innings, but it was too much for the Aeros as they captured victory.

Everyone on offense had a part in this one, take a look at the lineup.

J. Constanza - 2/5, R, 2 RBI
J. Rodriguez - 3/4, 2 R, SB, BB
C. Santana - 2/3, 2 R, 2-R HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
B. Mills - 2/5, R, 2B, 2 RBI
M. McBride - 1/4, BB
L. Chisenhall - 1/5, R, RBI
C. Rivero - 1/3, R, 2 BB
J. Drennen - 2/4, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
J. Head - 1/4, R, BB

Johnnie Drennen just ended the season on quite the note. He homered yet again and he's been on a rip towards the end of this year.

Carlos Santana came up big when you needed him to homering in this one. Beau Mills also had his fun. Josh Rodrigue hit .375 in the postseason, behind only Drennen's .379 and Chiz's .467 (boy this team is going to be good again with him there).

Oh and none of them won the MVP. That was Jerad Head who was absolutely the man for a few games in the playoffs.

Scott Barnes was ON it last night. Five innings, two hits and three runs with just two unearned runs. He struck out seven. Carlton Smith pitched 2.2 innings in relief and he too gave up two unearned. So four errors yielded four runs. Funny note that Connecticut is the San Francisco farm team for Double-A, so Barnes was facing his former team.

Josh Judy gave up two runs in the ninth but closed it out and celebrated with Santana in the middle of the field.

''It's been a real special year for myself and all these guys,'' Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said. ''What a super group of guys. Every time new guys came up, they bought right in and helped us out.''

This entire team, from the guys who started at the level with Rondon, to the late adds like Chisenhall and Barnes and Berger.. Just a fantastic season.

You can't be more proud of these guys. They really put it all together all year no matter who was there or wasn't. Mike Sarbaugh deserves a lot of credit as well because he's doing it every year now. He just puts winners out of the field no matter what. He has a lot of talent that comes through, but he gets the guys like the Jerad Heads of the world and makes them play great.

I mean, Johnnie Drennen was starting to be considered a lost cause and when he got to Akron, boom, it was on.

Just a great year for everyone involved in the Aeros.

And all this championship talk, for the third time since 2003, is bringing up the words "Team of the Decade."

Maybe on the Double-A level fellas.

Tony at IPI has posted a few videos of the celebration. You don't think this team absolutely LOVES their manager? Watch the second one when they chant "Sarby! Sarby! Sarby!" as he enters the clubhouse.

Oh and caution on language in the second one... I think that's Josh Rodriguez that yells firetruck very plainly around the 1:40 mark.

I'm also looking forward to getting Carlos Santana here.. He is like A mini-Victor Martinez. I can imagine Victor doing something of this sort had the Indians won a World Series.

"Carlos Santana was nuts, throwing anything he could find into the stands as he left the field. He must have thrown 3-4 baseball gloves, 20 balls, 3 helmets, and a dozen bats into the stands to fans."

Congrats again to the Double-A Eastern League Champion Akron Aeros!