Staten Island 5
Cyclones 2
Sept. 5 at Staten Island
The Cyclones’ season hit one final low as Brooklyn wrapped up the summer with a 5–2 loss to the hated Staten Island Yankees on Monday. Brooklyn manager Tom Gamboa’s season ended earlier than expected as he was ejected in the fourth inning. It was his final game with the team.
Staten Island got on the board first against Cyclones starter Justin Dunn. Dom Thompson-Williams led off with a double, moved to third on Welfrin Mateo’s infield single and scored on a double-play ball. It was the only run Dunn allowed in three innings.
Brooklyn evened the score in the second. Colby Woodmansee led off with a walk, advanced to third on Ali Sanchez’s one-out double and scored on Anthony Dimino’s groundout.
Then came some excitement. In the fourth – with Desmond Lindsay on second and one out – Blake Tiberi hit a roller up along first. Jonathan Padilla missed tagging Tiberi, but the Yankees asked the umpires to talk it over.
The umpires discussed it and called Tiberi out. Gamboa came out to argue and said that he wasn’t leaving until the right call was made. He didn’t get the answer he was looking for. The umpires told him the call was not changing back and Gamboa replied, “You must be f———– me up my a–.”
The skipper was ejected, but wasn’t done with the theatrics – following base umpire Matt Baldwin and giving him an ejection signal. Gamboa then went back to the dugout and showered the Staten Island field with helmets and a bat, earning applause from the Cyclones in the dugout.
The call cost Brooklyn a run – in addition to its manager – as Sanchez flew out to end the inning instead of driving in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Brooklyn took the lead in the fifth. Dimino hit a grounder to third, but first baseman Radley Haddad mishandled the throw and he was able to take second. Dimino then stole third base and came home when the throw by catcher Eduardo Navas went into left field.
Harol Gonzalez replaced Dunn and shut down the Yankees until Thompson-Williams hit a solo homer to deep right to tie the game in the sixth.
Staten Island took the lead in the seventh. Drew Bridges and Kendall Coleman singled with one out. Nathan Mikolas doubled into the right field corner to score both runners. With two outs, Haddad singled to center and Mikolas came in to score.
Gonzalez was taken out after three-and-two-thirds innings of relief work. He allowed four runs and wrapped up the season with an earned run average to 2.01 and 7–3 record.
David Palladino closed out the game for the Evil Empire of the New York-Penn League. Coincidentally, Palladino was the starting pitcher for Staten Island back in 2014 for Gamboa’s first game as Cyclones manager. Gamby called the repeat performance “bizarre.”
The 37–39 Cyclones finished with a losing record for the second time in 16 seasons. The first losing season came last year when Brooklyn went 33–43.
UPS AND DOWNS
Monday’s game was the end of the three-year Tom Gamboa era for the Cyclones.
“I really enjoyed it. I mean, I wouldn’t have come back and done it three years if I didn’t enjoy it.”
