The Atlantic League Bullpen, September 13, 2022
September 13, 2022 – Atlantic League (AtL) News Release
Pennant Races: Gastonia has swept both halves of the South Division and earned its spot in the Atlantic League Playoffs… Lancaster has a six-game lead over Southern Maryland with seven to play… With Gastonia’s sweep, the ALPB will have a Wild Card team in the playoffs… High Point leads Kentucky by 5.5 games and has a magic number of two to reach the postseason… Gastonia’s 84 wins thus far in 2022 rank as the ninth-most in a season by an ALPB club.
Rivalry Series Finales: A number of Atlantic League rivalries will be settled this week… In mid-week series, York and Lancaster’s “War of the Roses” will be decided at Lancaster . . . The Barnstormers own a 16-13 lead… Gastonia visits High Point in the “Battle of the Old North State” with the Honey Hunters owning an 18-13 advantage… On the weekend, Kentucky and Lexington faceoff at Wild Health Field with the Genomes owning a 21-16 lead… And Staten Island hosts Long Island in the “Battle of the Belt” with the FerryHawks leading the series 16-15.
September Standouts: Lexington’s Isaias Tejeda leads the league with 15 RBI in September… Lancaster’s Trayvon Robinson is hitting .452 (14-for-31) in September… High Point’s Michael Martinez is hitting .576 this month (19-for-33) and leads the league with a .600 OBP, .909 slugging percentage and 13 runs scored. Martinez turns 40 on Sept. 16… Lexington’s Aneuris Rosario has three saves in September while Lancaster’s Cameron Gann has made two starts, both wins, and thrown 11 innings while allowing just three hits and no runs.
Record Watch (Season Records):
Stat Player/Team Mark Record Record Holder
Hits Andretty Cordero,LAN 173 189 Lew Ford, LI, 2014
HR Courtney Hawkins, LEX 44 48 Ozzie Canseco, NWK, 2000
BB Nellie Rodriguez, YRK 105 105 Telvin Nash, York, 2019
TB Courtney Hawkins, LEX 287 303 Telvin Nash, 2019
SHO M. Lambson/D. Thompson 3 3 by many, most recently
Matt Larkins, LI, 2017
Mid-Week Standouts: Lancaster’s Andretty Cordero had four hits including a double and a triple and two RBI in a win at High Point on 9/6. He added four hits, a homer and two RBI vs. Charleston (9/11)… John Anderson of Gastonia won his 13th game of the year vs. Kentucky on 9/6… So. Maryland’s Alsis Herrera and Staten Island’s Anthony Rodriguez each threw complete games in the first game of the FerryHawks’ 1-0 win on on 9/7… Staten Island’s Jordan Simpson fanned four hitters in 1.2 innings of work vs. So. Maryland in game 2 on 9/7… York’s Nellie Rodriguez hit two homers and drove in five runs in a 6-3 win over Long Island on 9/7… Charleston’s Denson Hull fanned eight in six innings vs. Lexington on 9/7… Mitch Lambson of So. Maryland hurled his league-leading seventh complete game of the year with a nine inning three-hitter with nine strikeouts in a win over Staten Island on 9/8… Lancaster’s Oscar De La Cruz had an “immaculate” inning, striking out three High Point hitters on just nine pitches on 9/7 as part of a 10-strikeout effort… Kentucky’s Elih Villanueva fanned 10 Honey Hunters on 9/8… Long Island’s Alejandro De Aza was 8-for-13 (.615) in the series vs. York… Teammate Dustin Woodcock led the ALPB with seven RBI and four doubles in the mid-week series… Charleston’s Nick Heath stole four bases vs. Lexington including three on 9/8… Lexington’s Aneuris Rosario had a pair of mid-week saves vs. Charleston… Long Island’s L.J. Mazzilli hit a two-run homer vs. York on his birthday on 9/6.
Weekend Standouts: Gastonia’s Joseph Rosa had three hits and three RBI vs. Lexington on 9/9… York’s Yefri Perez had four hits including a triple vs. So. Maryland on 9/9… Arel Sandoval of Lancaster had four hits, a double, homer and two RBI vs. Charleston (9/9)… High Point’s Logan Morrison and Zander Wiel each had four hits while Quincy Latimore added four RBI vs. Kentucky on 9/9… Staten Island’s Mariel Bautista had four hits, two homers and four RBI vs. Long Island on 9/10… Latimore added four hits and a pair of doubles vs. the Genomes on 9/10… High Point’s Roldani Baldwin drove in five runs with a pair of home runs vs. Kentucky 9/10… Staten Island’s Angel Aguilar had four hits vs. Long Island on 9/11… High Point’s Michael Martinez had four hits vs. Kentucky on 9/11 and was 6-for-9 in the weekend series.
Stan Is The Man With 400 Wins: Southern Maryland manager Stan Cliburn recorded his 400th win as an Atlantic League manager when the Blue Crabs defeated Staten Island 11-0 on 9/8. Cliburn is in his sixth season in the Atlantic League having managed the Blue Crabs in 2015, New Britain in 2016 and 2017 and then returning to Southern Maryland for the 2019 season. His current total of 401 wins places him ninth all-time among ALPB managers as he became the ninth to surpass the 400-win mark.
Long At-Bats: So. Maryland’s Braxton Lee grounded out after facing 12 pitches from Staten Island’s Francisco Carrillo on 9/7.
Chris Capuano: Former MLB All-Star Chris Capuano signed with Staten Island and started vs. Long Island on 9/11. Capuano went six innings, allowed eight hits and three runs while striking out nine and earning his first ALPB win. Capuano won 77 games in 12 years as an MLB pitcher from 2003-16 and his nine strikeouts tied for the most by any ALPB pitcher on the weekend along with York’s Eduardo Rivera.
Team Pitching: Kentucky pitchers struck out 15 Gastonia hitters on 9/8… Gastonia pitchers combined to toss a one-hitter vs. Lexington on 9/9… Starter Reilly Hovis allowed a lead-off single in the fourth but that was the only hit of the night for the Legends.
Caring More For Others: Lancaster broadcaster Dave Collins suggested a statistic, driving in runners other than yourself. A looking back through ALPB history shows the player with the most RBI in a season after subtracting home runs was Southern Maryland’s Pat Osborn who, in 2008, collected 106 RBI while hitting 17 home runs, meaning he had driven in 89 batters other than himself that season… That record now belongs to Lancaster’s Andretty Cordero who has 110 RBI with 15 home runs giving him a total of 95 teammates knocked in.
Milestones: High Point’s Zander Wiel has set club records with 30 homers and 93 RBI this year… Melky Mesa set the York record for career RBI with 313… Mesa also owns the club record for career outfield assists with 33. He has 12 this season while Southern Maryland’s Braxton Lee leads the league outfielders with 18… Lancaster’s Andretty Cordero has set the club record with 110 RBI.
Grand Slams: High Point’s Michael Martinez hit a walk-off grand slam to break a 1-1 tie to defeat Lancaster 5-1 on 9/7… Gastonia’s Jake Skole vs. Lexington on 9/9.
Walk-Offs: Gastonia walked-off Lexington 4-3 on 9/11 on Reece Hampton’s RBI double that scored Luis Roman.
Off-Field: The Long Island Ducks drew their 699th all-time sell-out when they attracted 7,054 to Fairfield Properties Ballpark on 9/10.
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