Blue Jays minor league affiliate falls just short in bid for back-to-back championships

It was a walk-off win that got them in the championship series, but it was a walk-off loss that ended the Vancouver Canadians' quest for a sixth Northwest League title.

Spokane Indians third baseman Kyle Karros was hit with a pitch from Vancouver pitcher Geison Urbaez with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting Spokane to a 3-2 win Saturday. The win gave the Indians a three-games-to-one victory in the Northwest League championship series, and denied the Canadians a chance to repeat its 2023 title win with a winner-take-all Game 5.

It's Spokane's first championship since 2008. The Indians finished with the best record in each half of the Northwest League season, finishing with a combined record of 79-51 (38-26 first-half record, 41-25 second-half record). Vancouver clinched the second-half spot in the finals with a 38-28 record, after a 30-33 first half.

The series may have been a lot closer than some thought it would be, considering Spokane's dominance at the top of the standings. But all four games were decided by a run and required the winning team to come from behind. And a couple of Blue Jays prospects made appearances in the series for the Toronto High-A affiliate, as well.

Spokane took the opening game by rallying twice to hold off the Canadians 4-3 at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver. GJ Hill hit a two-run home run in the fifth for Spokane, which took the lead for good in the ninth when Jose Cordova hit a RBI single. Jay Harry hit a home run and a single for Vancouver, while also scoring two runs.

In Game 2, it was the Canadians' turn to come back twice and win 4-3 to even the best-of-five series. Juaron Watts-Brown, Jays Journal's number 7 ranked prospect, struck out 10 and allowed two runs and six hits over 5.2 innings for Vancouver, while Adrian Pinto had three hits and Harry added two more hits and scored two runs. Karros hit a home run for Spokane and scored two runs.

Pinto hit a two-run home run in Game 3, but it wasn't enough as Spokane rallied again to win 3-2 and push Vancouver to the brink. Kendry Rojas, Jays Journal's number 8 ranked prospect, struck out nine and allowed three runs and four hits over six innings for Vancouver, but took the loss. The Indians got RBI singles from Andy Perez and Bryant Betancourt, which was enough to win.

Losing a championship series is always tough to deal with, especially one that was as close as this one. However, the Vancouver Canadians were able to continue their run of success, which is noteworthy in an organization that is starving for it. Since the current inception of the Canadians in 2000, Vancouver has won five Northwest League titles, including three in a row from 2011 through 2013. The team also has seven division titles, before the league switched to its current playoff format, and made 10 championship series appearances.