DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN: The
SWB RailRiders open the 2017 playoffs with a rematch of last year's
semi-final series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Last night's
scheduled series opener was postponed due to rain. All of the action
this series has been bumped back by a day.
HOW SWEEP IT IS:
The RailRiders advanced to the 2016 finals after the franchise's first
postseason sweep, a three-game broom cleaning of the IronPigs. SWB never trailed in the series and outscored the IronPigs, 20-3.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME: SWB pitching did not allow a run on the road during last season's Governors' Cup playoffs, a 36-inning span. The RailRiders held the IronPigs scoreless in both semifinal meetings at Coca-Cola Park and the Gwinnett Braves failed to score in two GCCS clashes at Coolray Field.
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
SWB made the Governors' Cup finals for the sixth time in franchise
history last season (1992, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2016). SWB has
claimed the IL North 12 times in its history, including eight division
titles in 11 seasons as the Yankees' top affiliate. The SWB franchise's
first Governors' Cup championship came in 2008. The then-SWB Yankees
beat the Pawtucket Red Sox in four games and bested the Durham Bulls
(Tampa Bay Rays) in four in the championship with a 20-2 win in
clincher. However, those then-SWB Yankees lost to the Sacramento River
Cats (then-Oakland Athletics) in the "Bricktown Showdown", 4-1.
SOL MAN: Donovan Solano ended
the regular season with 13 hits in his last 32 at-bats (.406). He had
16 multi-hit showings over his last 38 games. In August, he slashed
.361/.388/.557/.945 over 25 games with 10 doubles, three homers and 15
RBIs.
I'M JUST A CAVE MAN: The IL's July Player of the Month, Jake Cave
owns the IL's second-longest hitting streak of the season overall (19,
.440, July 15-Aug. 4) and its longest at home (24, .429, June 19-Aug.
4). The MVP of last year's Governors' Cup Championship Series entered
2017 with 19 career round-trippers. He had 20 between Double-A Trenton
(5) and SWB (15) this year, tying him with Mike Ford (20) for the lead on the Yankees' farm. His .305 overall batting average ranked second among Yankees minor leaguers this season.
CAN DO: Miguel Andujar
had hitting streaks of 15 and 17 games since joining the Triple-A ranks
this season. He has hit safely in 38 of his last 44. Over that longer
44-game span he has slashed .337/.382/.541/.923 with nine doubles, a
triple, eight homers and 25 RBIs. His 82 RBIs between Double-A and
Triple-A ranked third on the Yankees' farm. His overall numbers also ranked among the farm's best in AVG (1st, .315) and HR (T-4th, 16).
HIGH, FAR, GONE:
The RailRiders boast seven players with double-digit homers this
season. It marks the first time SWB has had seven or more 10+ homer
hitters since the 2008 team had eight, paced by Cody Ransom's 22
big flies. The 2008 unit won the franchise's first-ever Governors' Cup
title, beating Durham in four games in the finals including a 20-2 rout
in the clincher. The SWB franchise record for homers in a season was set
by the 1998 Red Barons with 164. The record as the Yankees' top
affiliate (2007-Present) was set by the inaugural 2013 RailRiders at
133. This year's RailRiders obliterated that mark with a new Yankees-era record and 2017 league-high 153 homers.
PINSTRIPE PRIDE: Seven Yankees minor league affiliates,
all four full-season clubs plus Short Season-A Staten Island (NYP), the
Rookie Pulaski Yankees (APP) and the Rookie GCL Yankees East made their respective playoffs this season. The Yankees' top affiliate has won the IL's Governors' Cup 16 times, by far the most by affiliation.
OFF THE RAILS: The RailRiders posted the IL's best overall record at 86-55 (.610)...SWB's
offense ranked among the IL's best in: R/G (1st, 4.7), AVG (1st, .272),
OBP (1st, .334), SLG (1st, .442), OPS (1st, .775), 2B (T-2nd, 272), 3B
(1st, 36), HR (1st, 153) and SB (6th, 93)...No IL team had led the league in R/G, AVG, OBP and SLG in the same season since the 2004 Buffalo Bisons (Cleveland Indians)...Those
Bisons won a league-best 83 games and the Governors' Cup title...The
2016 RailRiders paced the league in R/G, AVG, SLG and OPS, but ranked
2nd in OBP...The 2015 RailRiders led the IL in R/G, AVG, OBP and OPS,
but finished 4th in SLG...SWB pitching ranks among the 2017 IL's best in
ERA (1st, 3.33), WHIP (1st, 1.19) and K/9IP (2nd, 9.2)...SWB had 10
walk-off wins including seven in extras...The club owned the IL's best
record in one-run games (23-13, .639) and in extras (9-1)...No IL team
had more wins when trailing after seven innings than the RailRiders
(7)...SWB stood an IL-best 42-29 (.592) away from PNC Field...With
1,249 strikeouts, the 2017 RailRiders became the first team in
franchise history to eclipse 1,200K...SWB went 55-35 against the IL
North.
SIMPLY THE BEST: Manager Al Pedrique was named IL Manager of the Year for the second straight year. He became the fourth IL skipper to earn the honor in consecutive years,
joining Rick Sweet (Louisville), Jack Tighe (Toledo) and Eddie Haas
(Richmond) as the only managers to win it back-to-back years. Sweet was
the last to do it from 2008-09. Pedrique became the first SWB manager to
win the award in consecutive seasons and joined Dave Miley as the only two to win it twice.
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