The Blue Sox welcomed the archrival Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs on July 23, 2017 for a Sunday matinee at Murnane Field as they continued their chase of the Saugerties Stallions for the fourth and final playoff spot in the PGCBL East Division, sitting five games behind entering the day. Considering that the team had lost 18 of 22 in June, the fact that they were still in playoff contention with just a little over a week remaining in the regular season was a miracle. While the Blue Sox were playing some of their best baseball, the DiamondDawgs were playing some of their worst, having lost five in a row up to that point over the span of just three days. However, Mohawk Valley took all of the anger and frustration from that five-game losing streak out on Utica early and often. They got on the board in the 2nd on an Austin Pollack RBI double, then poured it on the next inning with a six-spot. Shortstop Matt McDermott committed errors on back-to-back plays to start the inning, then Taylor Olmstead dropped a lazy fly ball to left field off the bat of Russ Olive to allow Joe Engel to score, which set the table for the rally to come. Dan Deely crushed a two-run double and came around to score on a base hit by Ben Porter. Porter then scored on a Nico Ramos double, but Utica starter Nolan Freeman collected himself and retired Johnny Mayer on a sacrifice bunt and struck out Tom Moore to get just one out away from getting out of the inning. However, he allowed an RBI single to Pollack and walked Engel. He then threw just two pitches to Lucas Terwilliger before his tired arm finally gave out and manager Xander Uxley called upon Logan Foster to get the last out of the inning, which he did. Foster proved to be solid out of the bullpen as the only mistake he really made in the ballgame was serving up a two-run home run in the 6th to Ramos, which extended Mohawk Valley’s lead to 9-0. The Blue Sox offense finally broke through against DiamondDawgs starter Tyler Ksiazek in the bottom of that inning. The rally started with base hits by McDermott and Rob Andreoli and they advanced to second and third base on a well-executed sacrifice bunt by Kyle Norman. Cole Pursell then brought both of them home on a single to finally put his team on the board. Zane Harris followed that up with a base hit of his own and with Olmstead up next in the order, the “T.O. Takeover” began with a three-run bomb to make it a 9-5 game. After Connor Hurley retired the Dawgs in order in the top of the 7th, “T.O.” turned it up in the bottom of the inning. Andreoli singled with one out, stole second base with two outs, and then advanced to third base on Pursell’s third hit of the game. Harris kept the rally alive by drawing a walk to load the bases, setting up the moment where Olmstead would officially immortalize himself as “Mr. Blue Sox.” On an 0-1 pitch from Nick Caregnato, “T.O.” hit a high, towering fly ball down the left field line that Terwilliger could only helplessly watch sail over the wall. It was a grand slam and Olmstead’s second homer of the game, his second in as many innings. It was now tied, 9-9. However, the game hadn’t been won just yet and it was far from over. In the bottom of the 8th, Devon Garcia, who had entered the game in the 4th inning to replace an injured Ryan Sargent, led the inning off with a walk and Chris Skermo then got himself on base on a fielder’s choice, prompting Mohawk Valley manager Blake Nation to turn to his all-star relief ace, Zach Vennaro. McDermott laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both Garcia and Skermo for the first out. Andreoli then lifted a fly ball to center field that was hit just deep enough for a sacrifice fly, driving in Garcia as the go-ahead run. The Sox now led 10-9, but again, it was far from over. Utica still had to shut the DiamondDawgs down in the 9th and southpaw closer Austin Salnitis was brought in to try and finish the job. He struck out Pollack on three pitches for the first out, but Engel singled to put himself on base as the tying run. Clay Koniencki then came to the plate to pinch hit for Terwilliger. He hit a long fly ball to center field that looked like it would carry for extra bases. Garcia, who came in as a defensive replacement earlier in the ballgame, denied him, making a full-extension diving catch for the second out. Olive kept the game alive with a walk, but Deely couldn’t as he hit a soft grounder to third baseman Jimmy Mendyk, another substitute, who stepped on the third base bag for an unassisted fielder’s choice for the final out of the game. While this was the largest comeback in franchise history at the time, as you could probably tell from the previous moment in this countdown, this record would be broken the following season.