The Birmingham Barons were never going to do it the easy way.

Even a first half that saw them shoot nearly to the top of all baseball in winning percentage withered in the waning days, and only one less game played by the hard-charging Tennessee Smokies earned Birmingham a first half title. True to trend, the Barons began the second half flat, and it never got any better. The club finished the year in a solid tie for third-best in the Southern League, but six games over in an eight-team league where half the clubs make the playoff is nothing to get the spells over.

A fortunate twist in the rules bestows home-field advantage for the playoffs on the first half champ, so in spite of finishing 15 1/2 games behind the Smokies on the season (!), Bham hosted the best-of-three. This would be a Crosstown South, taking on the Cubs Double-A club, where a win in this season of all would be so very sweet.

Game 1 in Tennessee was, predictably, flat, with no bats. Backs to wall, the Barons trudged home — and stomped the Smokies, 12-5, allowing for just a bit of hope tonight.

Hope, rewarded.

The Barons got out of the box hot, with seven hits in the first three innings, single after single after single that singed the Smokies and stunned them straight out of the game.

Meanwhile, Riley Gowens picked a perfect day to throw the game of his life. The righthander, a Libertyville native finishing up his first full pro season, spun five innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven. His only blemishes were the bookends of his game: Leadoff Smoky Benjamin Cowles, who stole second as Gowens later struck out his second Tennessean of the game, and the Bad Guys opened up the sixth by crushing Gowens’ Pitch 63 and no-hit bid with a home run and then another walk/SB combo, this one from Cole Roederer.

Further crisis in the sixth was averted, more due to Tennessee flubs than Barons skill, as Roederer ran into the second out of the inning by getting thrown out at third on a grounder, a goof made worse and guilty of wiping a run off of the board when next batter Jonathon Long singled. Gowens could not cash in his good fortune, however, walking a batter at Pitch 85 and leaving the game with the lead up for grabs. It was a stunningly good five innings, and an overall crusher of a 5 2/3 overall: two hits, one run, three walks, seven Ks and a homer.

Zach Franklin was called into the most harried circumstance of his budding pro career, bases full, two outs and a Smokies club hungry to take the lead. And in a tense, eight-pitch battle, Tennessee’s Luis Verdugo emerged victorious, drawing a walk that pulled the Smokies to 3-2. But Franklin coaxed a ground out from Hadyn McGeary, and the Birmingham lead held.

However, there were worrisome moments. Namely, up “just” 2-0 in the third, Birmingham packed the sacks with one out (two walks, one single) but failed to cash any chips. Midway through the game, six runners had already been left on base, and by the seventh, that number had doubled to 12.

Here’s the thing, though, even as the Smokies kept chipping away, in fact tying the game 3-3 in the seventh, things like the unforced baserunning blunder by Roederer kept on — namely in the shape of six free passes by the seventh-inning stretch and two more in the weirdest game-deciding rally you’ll ever see.

In the eighth, the Barons packed the sacks courtesy of supergnat Rikuu Nishida getting on with an infield hit, two walks, and then a clutch, er, 0-2 RBI infield single back to the pitcher by Jacob Gonzalez.

Jacob Gonzalez with an IF 1B. Rikuu Nishida forces the pitcher to go to 1B, and has to rainbow it due to his positioning. 4-3 #Barons. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/BwzjujPpEi

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) September 21, 2024

Michael Turner piled on to the “onslaught” with … a sac fly:

Michael Turner with a clutch sac fly deep enough to bring in Nick Podkul. #Barons up 5-3. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/Kvnc0UJ9PF

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) September 21, 2024

Finally, Terrell Tatum put a proper stamp on the inning with its first true, solid hit, a single to right. It was his second such RBI single of the game, and yes your eyes are not deceiving you, TT has had a MONSTER playoffs.

Terrell Tatum with a single to LF. DJ Gladney comes in from 2B. 6-3 #Barons. Terrell loves the big time. Tatum is hitting .545 w/ an 1.188 OPS in the 3 game playoff games. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/rGGsS78JEi

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) September 21, 2024

Tatum’s tiny tater pushed home a sixth run to double up Tennessee, with three outs remaining and closer Eric Adler ascending to the mound, when it took only four batters to extinguish Tennessee’s hopes and advance to Sunday’s Southern League Championship Series. It was as mellow a start of a celebration as you can imagine, so perhaps the Barons are not satisfied with merely exacting Crosstown revenge.

The #Barons are going to the Championship round. Peyton Pallette with the W, and Eric Adler with the Save. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/nlTzGiyttd

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) September 21, 2024

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Terrell Tatum photo from the Birmingham Barons.