Weekly report on the

by Jason Eisenberg

Ducks clinch on Fan Appreciation Night;

Title defense is underway

After failing to qualify in each of their first four seasons, the Long Island Ducks are in the playoffs for the second year in a row. Now the team looks to repeat last year’s championship run and keep the Atlantic League trophy on Long Island in 2005.

The Ducks certainly did not make it easy on themselves, as they waited until the final week of the season to lock up first place in the North Division. However, it was only fitting that the playoff spot would finally be secured with a dramatic come-from-behind win on Fan Appreciation Night at Citibank Park. "These fans deserve it," said Ducks Manager Don McCormack, "I wish we could have done it earlier , but as always the fans have stuck with us through thick and thin."

The Ducks magic number stood at one when play started Thursday night (9/22) for the team’s final regular season home game. They needed either a win against Lancaster or a Nashua loss in Newark to officially win the second-half division title. This stage was set after Long Island split the first two games of the series with Lancaster while Nashua had won two of three already this week against Newark. Everyone at Citibank Park knew that if one of these clinching scenarios did not take place Thursday night, the Ducks would face the daunting task of having to go into Nashua over the weekend and win at least one game. For most of the night it looked like this was likely to happen. When it was Long Island’s turn to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning they were already down 4-0. With two outs, Ducks’ Third Baseman Donny Leon singled down the right-field line to start the come-back. Carlos Hernandez, who had walked and then stolen second earlier that inning, scored on the play to get the Ducks on the scoreboard.

Ducks starting pitcher, Pedro Borbon Jr., had been shaky for the last few innings but starting with the sixth he took control and kept his teammates in the game. Over the next three innings, Borbon did not allow a run or even a single hit. The Ducks added another run in the sixth inning when outfielder Jason Johnson reached base on a bunt single and was later driven home by catcher Steve Torrealba to cut the deficit in half. Entering the seventh inning, the outlook remained bleak as the Ducks were behind 4-2 and news came that Nashua had a two run lead in Newark, but during the next half an hour everything was about to change. Long Island would score four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-4 lead. The biggest hit came from Justin Davies who was inserted as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and the team down by one run. Davies responded to the challenge hitting a single which knocked in the game-tying run. The very next batter, Pete Rose Jr., came to the plate with the bases still loaded and was hit by a pitch scoring Donny Leon as the game-winning run. Long Island would add an insurance run when Armando Rios scored from third base after a wild pitch. Todd Erdos came on in the ninth inning to close out the 6-4 victory for his league-leading 32nd save and in doing so officially stamped Long Island’s playoff tickets. (For the record, Newark scored three runs in the ninth inning to come back and beat Nashua 5-4.)

"I am a big believer in momentum and for five innings we did not have much," Don McCormack said after the game, "It started with Jason Johnson beating out that bunt for a base hit and then from there the door opened for us." McCormack says that even after a last place finish in the first-half and a disappointing start to the second half, the team never stopped thinking that they could turn the season around. "We knew that some changes had to be made," McCormack states, "Then when some of the new faces started to show up, suddenly we came together as a team and things worked out perfectly."

"Last year was special because it was our first time making the playoffs but tonight was every bit as sweet," said Justin Davies, one of the night’s many heroes, "This is what you play the game for, we worked hard and this is what we get for that." Speaking about his game-tying hit, Davies said, "I was given a chance with guys on base and even though I didn’t hit it as well as I wanted to, sometimes it is about making contact and putting it in the right spot rather than how hard you hit it." Pete Rose Jr. sporting an ice pack on his right shoulder said that getting hit by a pitch is just part of the game and that it only hurts for a second. "Any way we can get it, it feels good to win, especially for this group we have in here," Rose said, "these are some very special people on this team and good things happen to good people." Donny Leon, who had two RBI’s as well as the game-winning run on the night, says he knew how important this game was. "We know we have a great team but we had to come through today," Leon states, "We came from behind and we did our jobs by never giving up or letting our guard down."

On Fan Appreciation Night, the players did not forget about the support they have received from the fans this season. "It is unbelievable, the sellouts every night, they are loud and it is great to always hear them behind us," says Pete Rose Jr. "Since I have been here the support has been incredible," says late-season addition Donny Leon, "Day after day there are lots of fans here and it helps a lot with them out there rooting for us."

As for the playoffs, Don McCormack says that everything will come down to "pitching, defense, and not making mistakes" for the Ducks to be successful in this type of short series. "Hopefully we will get to have one more celebration in here," says Justin Davies, "one more champagne shower."

The best-of-three first round of the playoffs started on Tuesday with Bill Pulsipher taking the mound for the Ducks in game one against Nashua. Games two and three (if necessary) are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Nashua. All fans can listen to these two games live starting at 6:30 by logging onto the team’s website (www.liducks.com). The Ducks scheduled starting pitcher for game two is Pedro Borbon Jr. and Lance Davis will start if the series reaches game three. Fans can go to the team website to get more information on the championship series schedule if Long Island advances.