Season 5 Championship, Game 4

Holding a 2-1 lead in this best-of-five series, the Haymakers were looking to wrap up their third Creighton Cup. Standing in their way was battle-tested veteran Old Hoss Radbourn, pitching in front of a raucous home crowd. A fired-up Radbourn struck out the first two batters he faced.

The scoring opened in the bottom of the second. With star catcher Roger Bresnahan injured, the Haymakers handed off the tools of ignorance to Deacon White, whose arm would be tested all night. When King Kelly singled, it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to run; White, however, gunned him down at second. It turned out to be a crucial play because the very next batter, Sam Crawford, blasted Welch's offering out of the park to give the Legs a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, Bid McPhee led off with a single and scored when Joe Kelley doubled him home. The tally remained tied at 1 for several innings as Radbourn and Welch traded zeroes. The only moment of drama came in the top of the seventh; the Haymakers loaded the bases against Radbourn with only one out, but McPhee bounced into a double play to end the inning. 

The game's final run came in the top of the ninth. Sam Thompson, leading off for the visitors, greeted Radbourn with a double. He later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Ned Hanlon, making it 2-1 in favor of the Haymakers. A sac fly is perhaps the least-exciting way for a team to score a championship-winning run, but that's how it played out tonight.

The Blue Legs came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, but the outcome now seemed inevitable. Happy Jack Chesbro relieved Mickey Welch and worked a perfect ninth to record his first playoff save. The final play of Season 5 came from the bat of Hughie Jennings, who hit a screamer to short. Bobby Wallace fielded it cleanly and fired the ball to Cap Anson to clinch the Haymakers' third title in five seasons. 

Congratulations to the Haymakers! They are truly the first dynasty of my Hall of Fame league. Tomorrow I'll record all the final stats and then determine this year's trophy winners. At that point, Season 5 will be in the books and I'll be switching back to hockey!