It’s been a good stretch for the Y-D Red Sox.
On Saturday, manager Scott Pickler became the all-time winningest manager in Cape Cod Baseball League history. And his Red Sox have quickly added to his total, winning four of five since the record-breaking win. They’ve taken over first place in the East with a 10-5-2 record and they’re 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
The record breaker for Pickler was a 5-3 victory over Cotuit – who remains the league’s best team so far. Mike Puzzanghera had a great piece on the Y-D website about the achievement and Pickler’s legacy. He’s part of a generation of Cape coaches who will all have a spot in the league’s record books – old-school baseball guys who have made the Cape their summer home for decades. Many things make the Cape League great, but the manager corps adds a layer of credibility to the baseball proceedings. These guys know what they’re doing.
Pickler has been the best at navigating the changing landscape of the league and college baseball over the last 20 years. There’s more roster shuffling, fewer innings from pitchers, more tugs to get back home. But Pickler continues to get his teams to buy into the winning tradition of the Y-D Red Sox. They won three championships in a row from 2014 to 2016, after previously winning three out of four from 2004 to 2007.
This year’s team looks like the kind of club that could make another splash. While Cotuit leads the league in both batting average and ERA, Y-D is second in each category. We may have a powerhouse in the East and the West this summer.
Lyons leading Sox starters
Among the brightest stars for Y-D so far has been Jared Lyons (George Mason). He was the Cape League pitcher of the week in week one and has been even better since. On June 26, he pitched six shutout innings with 12 strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
Lyons has yet to allow a run – earned or unearned – through 15 innings on the mound.
Simpson departing
I guess leaving the Cape will finally cool off Chandler Simpson’s bat. The nation’s leading hitter in the spring was released by Cotuit on Thursday. He departs as the Cape League’s top hitter with a .455 average.
MVP pedigree
Travis Honeyman (Boston College) had a historic summer for the Ocean State Waves of the NECBL last summer, breaking a long-held batting average record en route to league MVP honors.
He followed it up with a strong spring for the Eagles and is hitting his way through another big summer. Playing for Orleans, Honeyman is hitting .360 on the season, good for the second spot on the league batting average leaderboard. He’s also tied for second in the league with three home runs.
No-no for the Firebirds
Three Orleans pitchers combined on a no-hitter in a 4-0 victory over Chatham on Wednesday night. Bryce Warrecker (Cal Poly) was making his first start of the summer after four relief appearances and went six perfect innings with seven strikeouts. Josh Allen (Duke) continued the gem with two hitless frames. A hit-batter broke up the perfect game. Chris Clark (Harvard finished it off in the ninth.
Home run king
Alex Freeland (Central Florida) hit nine home runs in only 34 games this spring and is on a similar pace with Brewster this summer. Freeland leads the Cape League with five home runs. He’s also hitting .304.
Weekend Watch
The annual holiday weekend rivalry series kick off Sunday. Brewster takes on Harwich, Wareham goes against Bourne, Hyannis takes on Cotuit, Y-D matches up with Hyannis and Chatham faces Orleans.
RELATED POSTS
Jace Bohrofen (Oklahoma) delivered more of the same for the Falmouth Commodores on Tuesday, and had some help from a guy who did something new. Bohrofen hit his fourth home run of the su...
Come October, Major League teams may want to consider signing Michael Sansone. In addition to being a very good pitcher, he’s quite the good luck charm. Sansone was a key part of the ...