For Grizzlies, home is where the clinch is for PCL title

The Fresno Grizzlies will host the ballclub’s first Pacific Coast League Finals game at Chukchansi Park on Friday night, exactly one year after the announcement that the Houston Astros would be their big-league affiliate.

It’s an anniversary celebration straight out of a fairy tale as Triple-A Fresno has enjoyed the fruits of a historic season that includes most wins in a regular season (84), a Fresno Tacos multi-game name change that captured headlines nationwide and an unprecedented surge into the best-of-five league championship series since beginning its new relationship on Sept. 18, 2014, and ending a 17-year run with the San Francisco Giants.

“Without a doubt, this has been the most special year for the Grizzlies,” general manager Derek Franks said Thursday.

A year ago, the organization was bombarded with questions as to what the future of the team would be.

A lot of those came from people who doubted how a major league affiliate four states away could impact Fresno with its trickle-down marketing, but Franks looked at it the other way around: “How many people in Houston now know of the Fresno Grizzlies?”

“We worked all year to turn this into an opportunity to become the lead Fresno team I’ve wanted us to become,” Franks said.

That strategy started with focusing on Fresno and the Grizzlies brand, and in turn the effect has been felt in a clubhouse of players from all over the country who want to win for the central San Joaquin Valley, err, Growlifornia.

“The team loves this community,” Franks added. “They want to win this for Fresno.”

The Grizzlies need two wins this weekend against Round Rock to clinch the PCL title at their home stadium – the ultimate cherry on top after two celebrating twice on the road. The team showered clubhouses in Iowa after clinching its divisional crown and El Paso after the conference championship series, but now the Grizzlies have the opportunity to party in their own confines.

Manager Tony DeFrancesco said he likes the Grizzlies’ chances following Tuesday’s 3-1 win in Game 2 to even the series. Game 3 is Friday at 7:05 p.m. with southpaw Brett Oberholtzer opposing Round Rock right-hander Phil Klein. Asher Wojciechowski will start Game 4 for Fresno and Mark Appel will get the nod in Game 5, if necessary.

In return, Franks is asking fans to pour into the stadium for the rest of the series and not just to add to the playoff atmosphere – the Grizzlies are 7-0 in front of crowds larger than 10,500 at Chukchansi Park this season.

More than 5,000 tickets for Game 3 had been sold as of 1 p.m. Thursday.

“Home-field advantage means you have fans in seats,” Franks said. “The playoffs are a completely different environment. The fans are the key piece to this.”

“The next time we celebrate, we’ll celebrate at our clubhouse,” DeFrancesco told his players following the conference series win over El Paso last week.

Stellar debut – Chris Devenski, 25, joined the Grizzlies team on Wednesday and got right to work, pitching 1  1/3 innings to preserve Fresno’s one-hitter and 3-1 victory against Round Rock.

He struck out two of the first three hitters he faced, then got the first out of the ninth before Chapman finished off the final two hitters.

“It was huge,” DeFrancesco said. “We heard a lot about him and that’s why he’s here. He did a great job in Double-A (Corpus Christi). Unfortunately, there wasn’t any space for him here at the beginning of the season, but he waited his time and did a nice job.

“He’s another weapon we have in the bullpen.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 6:38 PM with the headline "For Grizzlies, home is where the clinch is for PCL title."