Andres Santiago
Lookouts batter Corey Seager bats during Chatanooga’s home game against Jacksonville at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn.The Chattanooga Lookouts entered August with a 40-69 overall record and a 14-25 mark in the Southern League’s second half.
They entered September having already clinched the North Division title for the half and setting their sights on the playoffs. Chattanooga closed the regular season on a 21-8 tear to finish 35-33, winning the division by three games over Tennessee following Monday afternoon’s 5-1 thumping of the Smokies.
“It was a huge turnaround, and that’s a big deal to us,” Lookouts catcher Chris O’Brien said. “To go from the worst team in baseball to second-half champs is a pretty funny feeling, but it feels good. We never lost sight of what we wanted to do, and here we are.”
Monday’s crowd of 2,238 gave Chattanooga a healthy season attendance of 242,627.
O’Brien’s triple to left field in the sixth inning Sunday night scored Corey Seager and O’Koyea Dickson to propel Chattanooga to a 3-2 win over the Smokies that clinched the first playoff ticket for the Lookouts since 2012. Chattanooga has not been a postseason force in recent seasons, qualifying for just the fifth time since 2002 and having posted a 2-12 combined record in its past four playoff appearances.