Sep 21, 2021 4 min read

Sometimes B.J. Sabol’s delivery was straight over the top. Most of his pitches, however, came from lower, with a sidearm release.

The Wild Things relief pitcher used his entire bag of tricks in the Can-Am Conference finals series against Atlantic Division champion Equipe Quebec.

No matter how the ball left Sabol’s left arm, Quebec hitters had a hard time squaring it up. Sabol pitched 5 2/3 masterful innings in the series and did not allow a hit. He struck out eight of the 19 batters he faced, including all three in the ninth inning of Washington’s 4-0 win Sunday in the decisive fifth game. He threw two scoreless innings in Game 4.

Sabol’s performances could not have come at a better time for the Wild Things, who were shorthanded in the bullpen for the final three games because four players, including Dan Kubiuk, the team’s primary eighth-inning setup man, had to be left in Washington because they did not meet Canada’s COVID-19 protocols for entering the country.

“It was unfortunate that we didn’t have some guys there,” Sabol said, “But I met with (manager Tom Vaeth) before going to Quebec and I had a good idea what my role was going to be.”

Sabol’s job description was much like it was all season: get out the opponent’s left-handed hitters. Quebec’s lineup included five lefties.

“They split them up a little bit the last two games,” Sabol said, “but I was ready to do my job.”

Sabol, a former standout in the Big Ten at Indiana University, has been doing his job with amazing effectiveness since early August. In his last 24 outings, dating back to July 23, Sabol has pitched 24 2/3 innings and allowed only one run. He has given up just nine hits during that span with 42 strikeouts. It has been best stretch of Sabol’s three-year career with the Wild Things.

“I really didn’t change much,” Sabol said. “It was more of a mindset change. Before, I was either trying too hard to throw strikes or I was trying to be too fine. I’ve found a middle ground. … I’m very comfortable facing righthanders, and with lefties I obviously have an advantage.”

Sabol’s pitching is a big reason why the Wild Things have made a charge from nine games out of first place in the Northeast Division on July 5 to a spot in the Frontier League championship series, which begins tonight (7:30 p.m.), opposite the Schaumburg Boomers. Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-5 series will be played at Schaumburg’s Wintrust Field. Washington will host Games 3 through 5, starting Friday night.

“We gave up too many runs in the seventh inning early in the season, but we’ve solidified the seventh,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said. “B.J. has been pitching well and we brought in some guys who have helped in that seventh-inning role. Ben Vicini was a big addition.”

Vicini (9-0), a rookie out of Seton Hill University, has handled the righthand side in the seventh inning with Sabol getting the baseball if the opponent has a string of lefties scheduled to hit. Vicini, however, will not be available for the finals as he was placed on the 60-day disabled list Monday.

This will be Washington’s fourth trip to the Frontier League championship series and the Wild Things are still searching for that elusive first title. They lost to Richmond in four games in 2002, to Windy City in five games in 2007 and to Joliet in five games in 2018.

Schaumburg, meanwhile, has been the polar opposite of Washington. The Boomers have won three league championships (2013, 2014 and 2017) under manager Jamie Bennett. The Boomers, who beat Florence in four games to win the Midwestern Conference finals, have the Frontier League’s MVP in designated hitter Quincy Nieporte, who is batting .500 in the playoffs, and first baseman Braxton Davidson, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves. The Boomers are strong on the mound, with Kyle Arjona (8-6, 2.38) and Ryan Middendorf (11-5, 3.14), a rookie out of Lake Erie College.

After winning Game 5 in Quebec City, the Wild Things traveled throughout the night and arrived back in Washington early Monday afternoon for a quick pit stop – long enough to pick up the four players they were without in Canada – and went back on the road to Schaumburg, where they have not played since July of 2019.