The Somerset Patriots are the first half champions of the Freedom Division. I have some more photos from this weekend’s games after the jump, and Mike Ashmore has some Sunday postgame locker room quotes over at AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com.
The race came down to the final game of the half after the Patriots and Newark Bears spilt a doubleheader on a marathon day of baseball Saturday. I spent about half of a 30-hour stretch between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening at Commerce Bank Park in Bridgewater. I can only imagine how the players and team employees felt.
This is the view I had from the concourse shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The rain lasted long enough to delay the scheduled start of the first game of the doubleheader by almost two hours.
The Patriots dugout, shortly after 5 p.m. Frank Brooks (center, with the mohawk) appears to be playing air guitar to whatever was playing on the P.A. system. Note all of the standing water.
Check out the standing water near the Bears’ bullpen around 6:20 p.m. There were a few other spots along the warning track with standing water, but this was the worst. The rain is finally slowing down.
6:22 p.m. — The tarp is off the field, the grounds crew is busy prepping for play and some of the fans are heading to their seats. The umbrellas are still out, though.
7:05 p.m. — We’re under way. Brian Adams is on the hill, and he pitched effectively. Unfortunately, the Patriots couldn’t score enough runs and managed to strand 11 runners on base in a seven inning game.
7:12 p.m. — After a quick top of the first, Jose Garcia takes the mound for the Bears. Garcia constantly worked out of jams, limiting the Patriots to just 2 runs on 9 hits and 4 walks.
7:17 p.m. — One of Teuris Olivares’ bats bites the dust.
7:57 - A fragment of a rainbow is visible above the stadium.
8:34 - The Patriots celebrate Michael Ryan’s solo home run.
9:05 - Sparky Lyle lifts Brian Adams after Jose Herrera’s leadoff double in the seventh.
9:06 - Jason Richardson jogs in from the bullpen. Richardson allowed the game-winning hit to Randall Simon before recording the third out of the inning.
9:20 - Steve Kent came on to pitch the ninth inning for the Bears to earn his fifth save. Note how foggy it got.
I didn’t bother with the camera for game two.
Here are a few shots from Sunday:
Aaron Fultz (left) and Rick Asadoorian posed for photos during the Patriots’ pre-game on-field autograph session. All of Somerset’s starters were excused from the session this week, disappointing a number of autograph seekers.
The Newark and Somerset players selected to the Atlantic League All-Star teams were recognized on-field prior to the start of the game. Newark’s contingent includes (from left to right), Ramon Castro, Bobby Hill, Jose Herrera, Benito Baez and Keith Reed. Patrick Stanley (not pictured) was also selected, but he was down in the bullpen warming up.
(There’s no shot of the Patriots all-star contigent because the team’s camera people managed to be in the way of every shot I took.)
Bears manager Wayne Krenchicki and Patriots manager Sparky Lyle shake hands during the pre-game lineup exchange.
Jim Magrane threw a complete game and limited the Bears to just one first-inning run. He was the Patriots player of the game.
Ramon Castro drove in the Bears only run Sunday.
Patrick Stanley was named to the All-Star team Sunday, but he did not have his best stuff Sunday. He was visited by the trainer in the second inning, who looked at Stanley’s pitching hand. I don’t know if there was a blister problem or something else, but Stanley gave up 4 home runs en route to only his second loss of the season.
The Patriots celebreate their first-half title.
