5 weeks into the 2019 season, the Blue Sox trailed the Geneva Red Wings for first place by 3.5 games in the PGCBL West Division and were 14-11 overall. On the day after Independence Day, the Amsterdam Mohawks came to town with an impressive record of 21-5. On this night though, it would be the Blue Sox who looked like they entered the game at 21-5. Oh, and it also helped that PGCBL MVP candidate Luis DeLeon made his return to the lineup after missing the last 12 games due to injury. Utica jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings, but Amsterdam cut into the lead by scoring three runs off starter Avery Cook in the 4th and 5th and the score was 4-3 Utica halfway through. Josh Hatcher drilled an RBI double to make it 5-3, but DeLeon broke it open with a long two-run shot to left field. Thanks to a five-run 6th inning, the Blue Sox rolled to a 12-4 victory, which proved to be the start of an eight-game win streak that served as the catalyst for Utica going on to capture the West Division regular season crown. It also gave us that team’s catchphrase at the end of their postgame interviews: “are we ready?”