TRASH PANDAS WIN!
Trash Pandas capture first Southern League championship with 3-1 victory!
MADISON – From the worst record in Minor League Baseball to the final team standing in the Southern League.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas completed a remarkable transformation Wednesday night, defeating the Biloxi Shuckers 3-1 at Toyota Field in the decisive third game of the Southern League Championship Series to capture the first championship in club history.
Rocket City had finished its postseason run with a 4-1 record and brought an outright Southern League championship to the Huntsville area for the first time in 32 years.
One season after finishing 45-92, the Trash Pandas improved by 27 victories to go 72-65 during the regular season. Under first-year manager Joe Kruzel, they followed a North Division second-half title with their first playoff series victory, first North Division championship and, ultimately, their first Southern League crown.
The championship also ended an 18-year wait for the Angels organization, which had not celebrated a Double-A title since the Arkansas Travelers defeated Frisco in the 2008 Texas League Championship Series.
Senior sports writer Bob Labbe will have more about this championship win for the Trash Pandas online and in the Sept 30 issue of The Madison Record.
