Brooklyn Cyclones Win 2019 New York Penn League Championship

From the desk of: McNAMARA DIVISION & NYPL CHAMPIONS

NEW YORK PENN LEAGUE

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Brooklyn Defeats Lowell; 2-1

I - BRK 2; LOW 1

II - LOW 3; BRK 1

III - BRK 4; LOW 3

BROOKLYN WINS FIRST UNDISPUTED BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SINCE 1955

It's been 18-years since the Cyclones completed their inaugural season at Coney Island.  It was a magical summer of baseball by the beach.  One I'll never forget.  For the first time since 1957 a professional baseball team called Brooklyn home.

The opening day line-up remains vivid in my mind.  The Cyclones post a team record and league best 52-24 record en route to capturing their first ever McNamara Division flag.  In their first ever post-season catcher Brett Kay's late inning home run in game three against the Staten Island Yankees clinches Brooklyn's first round victory and an improbable berth in the New York Penn League championship series.

Brooklyn defeats the Crosscutters in game one at Williamsport.  Game two is scheduled for Tuesday evening, September 11, at Coney Island.  However the horrific events and national tragedy which unfold that very morning force a cancellation of the series.  The New York Penn League declares the Brooklyn Cyclones and Williamsport Crosscutters co-champions of the 2001 season.

Brooklyn and Williamsport meet again in the 2003 championship series.  This time the Crosscutters sweep the Cyclones in two.  Four years later Coney loses two straight against the Auburn Doubledays.  They earn a third trip back to the championship series in 2010 only to be swept yet again by the Tri-City Valley Cats.

In 2012 the Cyclones lose a first round playoff series against the Hudson Valley Renegades, then fail to qualify for post-season play through the next six seasons.

In his third season as manager, Edgardo Alfonzo leads the Cyclones to their second straight 40-win season.  With a series sweep over the Yankees on the final weekend of the regular season Brooklyn (43-32) finishes tied for the league's best record with Hudson Valley.  But through virtue of the tie breaker Brooklyn claims their sixth ever McNamara Division title.  The Cyclones go on to defeat the Hudson Valley Renegades in the first round two games against one.

ICYMI

Cyclones Defeat Renegades; Earn Trip Back to Championship Series

On Sunday Sept. 8, the Cyclones win their first championship series game since 2001 with a 2-1 victory over the Spinners at Lowell.  After losing game two on Monday, the Cyclones answer back with a title clinching 4-3 comeback victory on Tuesday at Coney Island.  It's the Cyclones first undisputed championship in their 19-year history.

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019

CYCLONES STARTER NATHAN JONES TAKES HIS WARM-UPS

The Mets  2019 fifth round draft pick yields two runs, one earned, on three hits and three walks with one strikeout through three innings pitched.  He faces 14 batters while throwing 55 pitches with 31 going for strikes.  He exits to a no decision.

BOTTOM FIRST

With Brett Baty (walk) and Ranfy Adon (double) in scoring position,
Jake Mangum (above) strokes a two-out single through the right side scoring Baty.
Then with runners on the corners Antoine Duplantis (below) grounds to second;
Adon scores on the play giving Brooklyn an early 2-0 first inning lead.

THIRD INNING

With two outs in the top of the third, Nathan Jones issues a walk to Spinners right fielder Nick Decker and a single to second baseman Cameron Cannon.  Lowell first baseman Joe Davis then slashes a hit down the right field line scoring both runners knotting the game at two; Ranfy Adon is charged with a throwing error on the play.  With two outs in the bottom of the third, Lowell starter Jay Groome (pictured above) exits to a no decision.

TOP SEVENTH

With Mitch Ragan pitching in relief of Matthew Allan, Lowell designated hitter
Marino Campana (above) homers to left giving the Spinners a 3-2 lead.

BOTTOM SEVENTH

Antoine Duplantis (above) stands on third base after his game tying triple to right; Jake Mangum scores.  Yoel Romero (below) stands at first base under a Coney Island moon after his base hit to left plates Duplantis with the go ahead run.

TOP NINTH

Manager Alfonzo sends Andrew Edwards back to the mound for a second inning of relief.   He yields a lead-off hit to third baseman Nicholas Northcut.  After striking out Marino Campana, he walks pinch hitter Jaxx Groshans on four pitches.  Edwards regroups to strikeout left fielder Stephen Scott.  Then with two outs and two runners on base Lowell sends up pinch hitter Alex Erro who strikeouts swinging (pictured above) on three pitches.

THIS IS NEXT YEAR!!

NEW YORK PENN LEAGUE

Brooklyn Cyclones One-Hit Renegades Forcing Game Three

From the desk of: THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

Semi-Finals Tied 1-1

I - HVR 5; BRK 4

II - BRK 1; HVR 0

NEW YORK PENN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

GAME THREE

Hudson Valley Renegades

vs.

Brooklyn Cyclones

FROM

Old Steeplechase Grounds

Coney Island hosts its first playoff game in seven years, and the Cyclones do not disappoint.  Four Brooklyn pitchers join forces on a one-hit masterpiece over the Hudson Valley Renegades in game two Thursday evening at MCU Park.

Nathan Jones, the Mets 2019 fifth round draft pick, starts for Brooklyn.  He faces 12 batters and throws 42 pitches with 25 going for strikes.  He yields no hits, no walks, and fans three through three innings pitched.  Next on the bump is the Mets 2019 third round selection, Matthew Allan, who faces six batters and throws 15 pitches with 10 going for strikes.  He allows no hits and no walks in two innings for the victory.  With one out in the seventh Hudson Valley right fielder Hill Alexander strokes the Renegades lone hit of the game off reliever Corey Gaconi whom otherwise strikeouts out five through three innings pitched.  Nelson Leon then tosses a scoreless ninth closing out Brooklyn's one-hit whitewashing of the Renegades.

Jed Lowrie, on rehab assignment from the Mets and starting at second base, plates the lone run of the game in the fourth when he deposits the first pitch he sees off Renegades starter Evan McKendry into the right field bleachers.  Despite pitching well McKendry suffers the loss after allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts through six innings.

• New York Penn League

Brooklyn forces a series deciding third game at Coney Island on Friday.  The winner goes on to face the Lowell Spinners/Batavia Muckdogs in the New York Penn League championship series.

Brooklyn Cyclones Tie For Wild Card Lead With Two Games Left

From the desks of: 

THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS  &  THE RICHMOND COUNTY RATS

Battle of the Boroughs

NATIONAL ANTHEM

LABOR DAY WEEKEND BEGINS

SATURDAY

Staten Island Yankees     2

Brooklyn Cyclones        11

FINAL

First Pitch

With everything riding on these next three games, Brooklyn seizes game one with an 11-2 triumph over the Staten Island Yankees at old Steeplechase Grounds.  The teams waste little time trading runs in the first.  In the second Staten Island takes a 2-1 lead on a lead-off single from left fielder Pat DeMarco, and a follow up double from right fielder Juan DeLeon against Cyclones starter Matthew Allan.  Luke Ritter doubles leading off the fourth and eventually scores via a pair of effectively productive sacrifice fly outs.  Brooklyn pushes two more runs across the plate in the sixth on doubles from Robinson Cano and Joe Genord and a gift error by Yankees third baseman Andres Chaparro.  Catcher Jose Mena is struck by a pitch leading off the seventh.  After which the Cyclones bats strike back with seven runs on five hits highlighted by Joe Genord's three run blast off Yankees reliever Marcus Evey.

(RHP) MATTHEW ALLAN

Mets Third Round Selection 2019 June Draft

Promoted from the GCL Mets, Matthew Allan makes his Brooklyn Cyclones debut Saturday afternoon against the Yankees.  The plan heading in called for a brief appearance.  In turn he faces eleven batters and throw 34 pitches with 25 (73%) going for pitches.  Nice on paper, in fact the very first batter he faces, second baseman and lead-off hitter Ezequiel Duran, fans looking at a very nifty curve ball.  But Allan winds up yielding two earned runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts through two innings pitched.

Hand out gold stars to the four Cyclones relievers who join together in pitching seven scoreless innings of three hit ball with ten strikeouts in relief of starter Matthew Allan.  Mitch Ragan picks up his third victory for a scoreless sixth and seventh inning with three strikeouts.

ROBINSON CANO

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano's compromised hamstring is coming along far quicker than anyone anticipated.  He makes the start at second for Brooklyn against the Yankees and is generally received well by the Brooklyn crowd.  Robinson  reciprocates the warm welcome by going 2 for 4 with a double, run scored, and a run batted in.

CANO in the FIELD

3B - BRETT BATY

Mets First Round Selection 2019 June Draft

Brett Baty also makes his Brooklyn debut with the Cyclones.  He is promoted from (rookie) Kingsport where he hit six home runs with 22 RBI in 42 games and 156 at-bats.  He goes 0 for 3 with a walk, and a run scored.

LUKE RITTER at the PLATE

Designated hitter Luke Ritter and Joe Genord are big men on campus.  Ritter is 3 for 5 with a double, three runs scored, and four runs batted in.  Genord goes 2 for 2 with his ninth home run of the season, and five runs batted in.  Unlike their parent club of late, the Cyclones are 7 for 15 with RiSP, and leave only five runners on base.

Manager Edgardo Alfonzo

Hudson Valley defeats the Aberdeen Ironbirds at Dutchess County.  The Renegades score early and often, then pour it on again in the late innings for good measure.  They batter Aberdeen pitching for 16 hits and nine runs.  In turn the Renegades limit Ironbird hitters to just one run on a mere three hits.

Now what?

• New York Penn League

Hudson Valley is alone in first place of the McNamara Division, with Brooklyn and Aberdeen tied for second just one game back.  Scenario two: the Brooklyn Cyclones and Aberdeen Ironbirds are now tied for the wild card lead.  With Friday's loss against the Cyclones the Staten Island Yankees are eliminated from the division race.  However, they're still alive in the wild card chase albeit a precarious 1.5 games back of the Cyclones and Ironbirds with just two games left.  Sunday brings a new day but the mission remains the same.  Now that the Renegades have jumped out to a series lead, Brooklyn needs Hudson Valley to complete the sweep.  In the meantime Brooklyn must continue handling their business against the Yankees.  The series shifts to the Ballpark at St. George for game two on Sunday.