No more gherkin around: Portland Pickles win first WCL title in franchise history

Down to their final out and facing a 5-4 deficit, the Portland Pickles came through with a walk to tie the game and then an error to walk off the West Coast League championship game Friday, Aug. 16, at Walker Stadium, earning the franchise’s first-ever league title.

The visiting Wenatchee AppleSox, winners of the North Division, broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth when James Castagnola roped a double down the right field line to bring home a run.

However, as Portland has done all season, it fought back in the bottom of the ninth.

Armando Briseno reached base with a one-out single, but a grounder by Tanner Griffith behind him allowed the force out at second, leaving the Pickles down to one more out and only a runner on first.

Alex Gouveia was next and he singled to keep the hopes alive and put runners on first and second. During Riley McCarthy’s at bat following, Griffith and Gouveia swiped bags to put runners on third and second.

It didn’t matter as McCarthy walked to load the bases and bring up Diego Castellanos. He didn’t see any good pitches though, and walked to tie the game at five.

Conner Stewart was next, and on the first pitch he saw, he hit a bouncing grounder in between the third baseman and shortstop. The AppleSox third baseman dove to try and get the ball, not knowing the shortstop behind him had an angle on it.

The diving attempt only slowed the ball further and the throw to first wasn’t in time, giving Portland the walkoff win 6-5 and its first WCL title in franchise history.

“Look up on the scoreboard, it tells you the story,” Pickles manager Mark Magdaleno said. “They put up two, we put up three. They put up one, we put up two. That just tells you, by looking at the scoreboard, our resiliency and how we never quit.”

“It’s like a street fight man, you keep going until someone finally stays on the ground. Fortunately tonight, we were standing. We’re the last man standing, and that’s flipping great.”

The WCL title is the first for the Pickles after the team was founded in 2015 and played the first three years of existence in the Great West League.

Since 2018, the Pickles have been a mainstay in the WCL, most notably with their flamboyant social media presence and mascot Dillon T. Pickle.

Now, the Pickles are more than a social media darling, they’re WCL champs after winning a franchise record 44 games this summer.

And it got started Friday when Portland got on the board in the first inning thanks to Griffith, the Pickles leader in RBIs this season, executing a squeeze that allowed Cody Kashimoto to score from third.

Wenatchee responded with a run in the second and two more in the third to go up 3-1.

But it was Griffith, who plays college ball at St. Mary’s and is from California, again in the bottom half to come through in the clutch. After originally thinking he was walked, the home ump called him back to the plate due to the call being a strike. So instead of bases loaded, Griffith cleared them with a two-RBI single to left-center that tied the game.

Griffith, who also led the Pickles this season in stolen bases, swiped second and advanced to third on a bad throw. Josh Schleichardt came through behind him with a single that put Portland up 4-3 after three.

“This is just a dream come true,” Griffith said as his team celebrated with bottles of champagne being popped on the mound. “To bring the first one to Portland and to be a part of it, this fanbase has been supporting us through it, and no better way to end it for them.”

Wenatchee tied the game at four in the sixth inning, ending starting pitcher Freddy Rodriguez’s night with four runs allowed, two earned, in six innings pitched along with seven strikeouts and four walks.

Zach Houser and Chris Downs came out of the bullpen and were lights out for the seventh and eighth, combining to allow only one hit. Houser struck out the side in the seventh.

Carter Delaney came on to pitch the ninth and picked up the win despite giving up the go-ahead run.

That run was quickly forgiven once the Pickles rallied in the ninth, causing Walker Stadium to go into a frenzy as fans rushed onto the field to celebrate with the players amidst green smoke and raised chairs.

“I’ve been here nine years with coach (Jim) Hoppel, and I’ve been the manager here for four, and every year we’ve gotten closer and closer,” Magdaleno said. “Right now, we are at the pinnacle of the West Coast League, and that’s because we have solid ownership, solid organizational skills and we pick the right guys.”

Briseno finished the night going 4-for-5 with a run scored while Griffith was 1-for-4 with three RBIs and one run to lead the offense.

The Pickles roster consists of five players from the metro area, which includes Ryder Edwards (Newberg), Josiah Shipley (Beaverton), Connor Hale (Newberg), Hunter Clayton (Hillsboro) and Schleichardt (Tigard). There’s also plenty of players from nearby Washington towns and local colleges.

But really, it doesn’t matter where the players are from. The win Friday night for the Pickles is a win for Portland in the eyes of their manager.

“This party’s gonna go forever,” Magdaleno said. “This is good for the city of Portland. There’s so many things people say about the city of Portland. We’re not all from Portland, but we represent it in a way that’s going to bring respect to the city.”

For Griffith and all his teammates, they’re ready to see what the city of Portland can give them back for Friday night and whatever bit of warmth the boys of summer can hang on to.

And they’ll do it all with a shiny new trophy in their arms.

“That’s something that every kid dreams to be a part of, and just to be one who gets to contribute to it is awesome,” Griffith said. “Whatever the city of Portland wants to do, we’re going.”