From worst to first

In a baseball season that only lasts one calendar month and 19 guaranteed games, the Blythe Heat's 0-5 beginning should have left them in the cool of the basement shade for the remainder of the Arizona Winter League.

But the team that started off as the laughing stock of the league was the only one celebrating with champagne on the field at Desert Sun Stadium while fireworks lit the night sky.

Blythe, the best hitting team in the league, did what it does best to beat the Canada Miners 10-6 in front of 2,311 fans to win the Arizona Winter League Championship on Saturday.

"After our fifth loss in a row, Coach (Jeffrey) Leonard came to us and had a meeting with us," Blythe third baseman and AWL Championship MVP Ben Einbinder said. "He asked us if we'd heard a good joke lately, and none of us responded, and then he said 'It's you guys. You guys are the joke.' After that we got a win and started to believe, and got wins when we needed to, and here we are."

Facing an uphill battle the entire month, Blythe (10-11) had to beat the top team in the league, Palm Springs, on the road Friday just to reach the championship game. But once they got in the spotlight, the Heat did not shy away, recording at least one base hit in seven innings and making the Miners pay for putting seven runners on base in the latter stages of the game.

"They just kept fighting and fighting," Leonard said. "They took total advantage of all the coordinators and other managers and teachers. They came in early, they worked hard and they stayed together as a family, and that was the main thing."

Unlike most AWL games that tended to be dominated by multiple-run innings and double-digit leads, Saturday's final was a 2-1 pitcher's duel through five innings. But Einbinder, who had already hit a game-tying RBI sacrifice fly, belted a two-run home run into left field that opened up a four-run inning for the Heat.

"Canada's pitching was good, but we were hoping that their guys would get tired and our best at-bats would still be to come," Leonard said.

The Miners did not back down and tied the game at 5-all in the seventh, taking advantage of two hit batters, two Blythe errors and a pitching change. But Canada needed three pitchers to get out of the eighth inning.

Blythe's Steve Alexander added to league-leading home run and RBI numbers with a solo homer to lead off the eighth. Einbinder followed with a walk and later scored after Jonathan Burke beaned his second straight batter.

Upon Burke's exit, Heat leadoff hitter Ryan Crespi welcomed Joe Walentin to the game with a 2-RBI single to give his team their biggest lead of the night and the eventual final score.

"Alexander is a great hitter," said Einbinder of his teammate, who finished the month with 10 home runs, 20 runs and 34 RBI. "Being able to hit behind him with all that power, I can't say enough about him. He tore it up."

Though Desert Sun Stadium is officially the home of the Yuma Scorpions, there were few fair-weather fans in the stands on Saturday.

Canadian natives in Yuma showed their allegiance to their country's team, as did the large section of Blythe's supporters, who were well rewarded for making the 90-minute drive.

The AWL also welcomed 700 members of the military and their families to the ballpark this weekend as part of a ticket sponsorship program with community businesses to honor their service.

"The people in Blythe were a big help," said Leonard, whose team played eight games this month in Blythe. "They kept our guys motivated, and that was big. Driving that far every weekend is a tough road trip, but to see so many of them here is outstanding."

Canada (12-9) got another great effort from lead-off hitter Jono Brooks, was 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and his league-leading 16th stolen base.

Starting pitcher Derek Foder was solid through five innings before giving up Einbinder's home run, allowing six hits and striking out five.