Bruce Chen was trying to get inside of Jorge Cantu's kitchen all night.
With this in mind during the sixth inning of a 2-2 ballgame Cantu approached home plate. With the International Championship on the line, he ripped a first-pitch inside fastball over the left field fence to help the Durham Bulls sweep the Pawtucket Red Sox to win their second consecutive Governor's Cup.
Led by Cantu and starting pitcher Jim Magrane, the Bulls defeated Pawtucket 3-2 in the best-of-five series. The championship is the ninth in team history and marks the third time a Bulls team has gone back-to-back.
Magrane helped the cause by hurling six innings of four-hit ball, allowing only one earned run. Lee Gardner polished off the sweep of the Red Sox with his fifth postseason save.
Chen pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs. The southpaw was pulled after Cantu's blast. The first two games of the series, like the conclusion, were nailbiters. Fans at Durham Bulls Athletic Park saw their Bulls win the first two contests, both by the scores of 5-3.
Jon Switzer won game one, allowing two runs on five hits in five and two-thirds innings. The No. 2 draft pick of the Devil Rays' 2001 draft also struck out 11, a Bulls record.
Jonny Gomes and Chris Truby provided most of the offensive effort, each crushing two-run homers.
In the middle game of the series, Jeff Liefer's seventh inning two-run homer provided the difference in the Bulls' victory. Truby also added three hits and an RBI.
Jim Parque threw six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits in the no-decision. Tally Haines earned the win in relief of Parque, throwing two scoreless innings. Gardner notched his second save of the series despite some ninth-inning dramatics.
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