NBC WORLD SERIES: Haag's patience is rewarded during 14-pitch trip to the plate.
Wichita, Kan. -- Tony Perez of the Fairbanks Goldpanners was getting tired long before the 12th or 13th pitch of the at-bat.
And Perez wasn't even at the plate.
He was at first base and started to run each time teammate Ryan Haag hit one of his eight two-strike foul balls in the fifth inning of Saturday's first semifinal at the NBC World Series.
"That was crazy," Perez said. "But Haag's a gamer. You just know he's going to get it done."
The same could be said of all the Goldpanners. After rallying to avoid elimination Friday night, they methodically worked their way past Nevada (Mo.) 5-2 Saturday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Fairbanks will play the Anchorage Glacier Pilots for the championship today.
Haag's marathon at-bat was symbolic of the Panners' run to the title game. Either could easily have ended badly a number of times.
But Haag's persistance paid off and was the turning point in Saturday's game. He lined the 14th pitch from Nevada starter Mike Snapp to right-center field, a double that scored Perez from first base, tying the score 2-2 with no outs.
Wasn't Haag a little tired to take two bases after standing in the batter's box for what seemed like an eternity?
"No, not at all," he said. "I came in with a plan today. I wanted to make the most of every at-bat. You can't control where it lands, but you can control taking a quality approach. It ended up being a big at-bat."
That's an understatement. Blake Gill followed Haag's double by smacking Snapp's change-up over the right-field fence, a two-run homer that gave the Panners a 4-2 lead and chased Snapp from the game.
"With a man at second, I was just trying to get something to pull,"
said Gill, a left-handed batter. "He left it up."
And Gill sent it out. It was his second big hit in as many nights. He had a two-run double that capped a four-run inning in Fairbanks' 7-6 win over Anchorage Friday night.
Goldpanners starter Clay Johnson struggled a little in his outing, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks in four innings. When Johnson got a little shaky, Fairbanks brought in Sean Timmons, who allowed one runner in each of his first four innings but never two. In five scoreless innings, he struck out four and gave up only two hits.
With Timmons in control, the Goldpanners cruised to the title game, where they have a chance to win an unprecedented sixth NBC title.
A sixth championship seemed like a long shot last week after Fairbanks lost to the Wichita (Kan.) Braves, a team with far less talent, and then trailed Anchorage 6-1 before winning on Friday.
"We had a little letdown after it was so easy early," Perez said. "We were run-ruling everyone, and we had to be reminded what this tournament would be like. But the way we've done it, we know we deserve to be in the championship."
