While no punches were thrown, the Cyclones took a beating at the hands of the Staten Island Yankees this weekend, dropping three games to their Cross-Narrows rivals.
But they went down swinging.
Facing each other for the final times this season — and in the wake of the longest bench-clearing brawl in their short histories — the Baby Bombers and Mini-Mets put on quite a show for the fans at soggy Keyspan Park Friday night, on Staten Island in front of a sold-out house and YES Network audience Saturday, and back at Keyspan Sunday for another sellout during Jackie Robinson Night.
The Yanks took each game by just one run, winning Friday and Sunday by a score of 5-4, and taking Saturday’s contest 1-0.
On Friday, any fires that might have been left burning as a result of the July 17 brawl on Staten Island were snuffed out by a 95-minute rain delay, which kept the teams in their respective clubhouses.
By the time the game started, at 8:35 pm, any ill-will seemed to have been lost, and the large, raucous crowd that arrived for the game had dwindled to a mere few hundred huddled underneath the colorful awnings down the right and left field lines.
The Cyclones took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by catcher Tony Piazza, but coughed it up in the top of the third when pitcher Adam Walker, making his second start after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery on his arm, faltered, mostly due to some shoddy fielding.
Light-hitting Yanks catcher Tyson Hanish started things off when he walked and stole second. After Melky Cabrera flied to center, Jared Treadway singled Hanish to third before stealing second on a botched pick-off attempt by Walker. Up stepped Edwar Gonzalez, who bounced the ball slowly back to the pitcher. With Hanish bearing down on the plate, Walker flipped the ball to the catcher, but the throw was too late, and everyone was safe.
Walker was then pulled for Rafael Castro, who’s error on a come-backer from Luis Robles allowed Treadway to score and Gonzalez to move to third. A sacrifice fly by Horace Lawrence brought home Zamora for the inning’s final run.
The Yanks picked up two more runs in the fifth when, with Treadway on second, Zamora tripled off the wall in right. Treadway scored easily, but in an attempt to nail Zamora at third, second baseman Blake Whealy’s throw sailed into the Yankees dugout, allowing Zamora to score.
The Cyclones closed the gap to within one by scoring three times in the eighth, but went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.
On Saturday, second baseman Adam Short’s leadoff home run in the fifth was all the Yankees needed, as the Clones’ bats were stifled by Jeff Kartstens, who scattered six hits over eight innings.
The Clones’ only chance at scoring came in the fifth — but was shot down by the arm of Staten Island left fielder Alexander Santa.
After Whealy led off with a single and stole second base, Ender Chavez and Stacy Bennett both flied out. But Jonathan Slack singled to left, where Santa picked the ball up and fired a strike to home plate. Whealy did his best to rip the ball lose from catcher Carlos Rosario’s glove, throwing a shoulder into the catcher as he blocked home plate. The force of the blow sent Rosario flying — and elicited gasps from the crowd — but Rosario wearily popped back up to his feet, showing the umpire the ball still handily in his mitt.
Bennett gave the Yanks a scare with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when his long fly ball down the left field line just curved foul. Pitcher Josh Smith then caught Bennett looking, to end the game.
The Cyclones celebrated Jackie Robinson Night Sunday in style. They officially retired the Dodger great’s No. 42, and did something no Cyclone had ever done, but for which Robinson was well known — stole home.
With the Clones up 1-0 in the second inning, three walks put left fielder Bennett on third with two outs. On a 2-1 count, Bennett broke for home, getting in before the tag.
That turned out to be the highlight for the Cyclones, who blew a 3-0 lead and trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth when they tied things up on a Bennett ground out.
The Yanks re-took the lead in the ninth off three Cyclones pitchers. A throwing error by Andy Wilson on a tailor-made double play ball allowed the winning run to score, giving the Yanks a 5-4 win.
Teufel ousted
Cyclones manager Tim Teufel was ejected from the game Sunday.
In the fifth inning, Andy Wilson hit a towering shot to left that appeared to hit off the wall, giving him a double. But both Wilson and Teufel, who also coaches third base, felt that the ball had hit the scoreboard above the fence. A ball that hits the scoreboard is, according to the ground rules of Keyspan Park, a home run.
After the umpires talked it over, they ruled it hit the fence, and placed Wilson at second.
After Wilson was stranded at second, Teufel, without much fanfare, went and had another chat with the home plate umpire, who promptly ejected him.
Replays shown by Fox Sports proved Teufel was right — the ball hit the scoreboard.
It was the second time this season Teufel had been ejected from a game.
August 11, 2003 issue
