Chattanooga Lookouts logoHad the Chattanooga Lookouts lost on Aug. 1, they would have been 30 games under .500 at 40-70.
They didn't lose that night, nor did they lose many games the rest of the regular season. Their 21-8 surge to close the Southern League's second half resulted in an unexpected North Division title, and they weren't through.
Chattanooga outlasted Huntsville in a best-of-five series to reach the Southern League championship series for the first time since 1996, and though the Lookouts were swept by Jacksonville, their appreciation for the past five months was by no means diminished.
"This is probably the most enjoyable season I've had as a manager," Razor Shines said, quickly crediting the assistance of pitching coach Scott Radinsky and hitting coach Shawn Wooten. "When you've got kids who were beat up -- we took a beating early -- and to see those same kids respond and get to the championship series is so rewarding."
The Lookouts finished last in the first half with a 26-44 record, and they were last with a 14-25 mark at the end of July. That's when Chattanooga embarked on an 11-game winning streak, the longest for the Class AA franchise in at least a quarter century.
"That winning streak was awesome," outfielder Scott Schebler said. "I had never been a part of anything like that. It was something special, and coming to the ballpark during that time -- I had never had so much fun."
Schebler was the Branch Rickey minor league player of the year for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, so he entered this season under more of a microscope. He delivered by leading the league in games played (135), home runs (28), triples (14), total bases (272) and extra-base hits (65).
Third baseman Daniel Mayora led the Lookouts with a .302 average, and he topped the league with 149 hits. Mayora's 39 hits in August led all of Double-A baseball, yet catcher Chris O'Brien finished strong as well and was named Southern League player of the month.
O'Brien provided the clinching RBI that sent the Lookouts to the playoffs on Aug. 31, the next-to-last day of the regular season. Three days earlier, Andres Santiago threw the first no-hitter for the Lookouts since 1996.
"You always see no-hitters on TV, but to be a part of one on the field was great," second baseman Darnell Sweeney said. "One day I will get to talk to people about being part of a no-hitter."
Said Shines: "For nine innings he was electric, and I am so happy for that kid."
Touted shortstop prospect Corey Seager arrived in mid-July and certainly didn't disappoint, hitting .345 with 27 RBIs in 38 games. There was also the last night of April to remember, as Clayton Kershaw made an 86-pitch rehab appearance at AT&T Field that included nine strikeouts.
Kershaw struggled through a 29-pitch first inning, but he has since gone on to be the favorite for not only a third National League Cy Young Award but MVP honors as well.
This was the sixth season the Lookouts have been affiliated with the Dodgers, but it's also the last. Los Angeles is not renewing its player development contracts in Triple-A or Double-A so it can set up shops in Oklahoma City and Tulsa for proximity reasons.
"It won't be the baseball that I'll miss," Schebler said. "It will be a great group of guys and being with them all year. It's going to be wild looking back and thinking, 'Wow, all that happened in one year.'"
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.