Mackanin had no shortage of confidence in the 25-year-old, who gave up one run in four appearances (eight innings) while striking out 12 during that postseason. In Game 4 of the Governors’ Cup Final, the right-hander was at his best. “I made some really big pitches,” said Aucoin, who worked three scoreless innings and picked up the win in a 4-0 championship-clinching victory over the Tides. “I peaked. I was dealing. The confidence was there, and nothing was going to rattle me.” Nearly 15 years later, the 39-year-old remembers almost every single pitch during that outing. “Those were some of the best innings of my life,” he said. Aucoin went on to achieve his childhood dream of playing in the major leagues in 1996, making a pair of relief appearances for Montreal to become the first hometown player ever to pitch for the Expos. But to this day, he shows no hesitation when asked which
moment was the highlight of his professional baseball career. “In all honesty, it was winning the championship in Ottawa, hands down,” he said. “Not everybody in life has the chance to wake up and be a champion ... of anything. To have the chance to contribute was awesome. We battled for two rounds, and to win it at home was a huge deal.”