S.I. Yanks 6 – Cyclones 1
The cold-blooded message was delivered with machine-like efficiency.
Nine days after being baffled by the vaunted Brooklyn pitching staff, the Staten Island Yankees let the Cyclones know that while they might be chasing their city rivals in the standings, they’re still the defending league champs.
Staten Island exploded for three runs and three hits in the first inning at soldout Richmond County Bank Ballpark, capped off by a monster collision at home plate between S.I.’s Shelley Duncan and Brooklyn’s Brett Kay.
“We had to win,” said Yankee leftfielder John-Ford Griffin after his team’s 6-1 victory, a win that pulled the Baby Bombers to within a game of Brooklyn.
The inning started with back-to-back singles by Kevin Thompson and Andy Cannizaro. One batter later, Duncan was hit by Brooklyn’s Brett Herbison. League RBI leader Juan Camacho promptly drove a two-run single to right.
Jeff Segar then lined a shot to left. Frank Corr caught it and uncorked a throw toward the plate.
“I saw the throw beat me,” Duncan said, “so I knew the only chance I had was to run [Kay] over. I dropped my shoulder and did what I had to do.”
What he did was jar the ball loose and give his club a 3-0 lead that would prove to be insurmountable.
That was in stark contrast to the Cyclones’ first inning when they squandered a no-out, runner-on-second situation, causing Cyclone manager Edgar Alfonzo to lament, “We lost the game in the first inning.”
Actually, Alfonzo’s crew might have lost the game before it began. Last night, pitching coach Neil Allen revealed that he told Chuck Manning to change speeds more to keep the Brooklyn batters off balance. The result? Manning fired eight innings of one-run, three-hit ball, striking out eight.