The Cyclones bounced all over the map of baseball emotions this week, notching comebacks, playing in even more extra-inning games, and lasting an eight-hour bus ride for the series in Batavia.
Here is the best of the team’s up-and-down week:
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The Cyclone’s June 29 game at State College took four-and-a-half hours to complete, with the first nine innings taking nearly four hours alone.
With Edgardo Alfonzo working with Jose Reyes in Binghamton, prior to the former All-Star’s Citi Field return on July 5, manager Tom Gamboa coached third base for the Clones.
“I’ve always liked coaching third, but in State College we had the third-base dugout, so I just had to walk out. Today, I joked with the guys I was going to fine Fonzie. He originally told me he’d be back Friday night because with the first base dugout and knowing we go to extra innings a lot, it’s a lot of back and forth. And when we go on the road to Batavia, we have the first base dugout there, so I’m certainly hoping Fonzie’s back by then.”
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The Cyclones wore special caps against Connecticut on July 2 as part of New Era’s Stars and Stripes program to benefit Welcome Back Veterans.
Of the first nine home games, four went to extra innings. The official scorer for all four extra-inning games was Ryan McCarthy, who has scored five games overall. The four games scored by Howard Kaplan have all been nine-inning affairs.
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Former Cyclone Wilmer Flores tied a Mets record with six hits in a game on July 3, first achieved by Cyclones third-base coach Edgardo Alfonzo on Aug. 30, 1999. Alfonzo homered three times in that 17–1 win. Flores homered twice in the 14–2 win.
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The Cyclones became the Coney Island Franks on July 3 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Nathan’s Famous hot dogs. Gamboa admitted that he didn’t know of the legendary frank purveyor until he came to Brooklyn, but the skipper said that he has eaten there a number of times since being named manager.
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While the Mets’ six-run comeback against the Marlins took three hours and 40 minutes to complete, the Cyclones only needed two hours and 23 minutes for the quick win against Batavia on July 4.
Former Clone Jose Reyes went hitless in four at-bats in his first game as a Met since 2011 on July 5. There were no balls hit his way at third base.
