York Revolution: June 2007 Archives

A victory for the York Revolution looked promising after Nate Espy crushed a three-run homer in the third inning.

But that’s when Bridgeport Bluefish starter Matt Beech turned it on. The former Phillies pitcher retired 13 of the next 14 hitters he faced. His turnaround allowed the Bluefish to rally for a 7-4 victory at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.

Before Beech’s transformation, the Revs had built a 4-0 lead on seven hits. During York’s early offensive spurt, Bridgeport had not even registered a single base hit.

The mood at Sovereign Bank Stadium Saturday night was different from any other game at the only half-finished, yet somewhat functional baseball stadium in York.

The game really gave hope to those folks who looked at the dropping attendance after the first two home games and wondered: This is what York waited 13 years to see?

After watching three unimpressive crowds witness games No. 3, 4 and 5 in SB Stadium history, the sellout crowd of 4,313 was promising. Maybe York can sustain a professional baseball team after all.

But the best part for the fans and the team came at the end. York won, a rarity this season. And it did so in scratch-and-claw fashion, scoring a 1-0 victory in the 13th inning.

This could be the game that helps York turn it around. So far this season it has not displayed anything close to the effort it extended Saturday night.

Here are the highlights for the folks who went home early.

The Revs keep pulling trades.

This one went down last night but wasn't official until today. The Revs traded the rights to disgruntled and missing outfielder Danny Bautista to the Camden Riversharks for the rights to Justin Singleton.

Bautista could report to Camden, Singleton is expected to report to York -- and could suit up for tonight's game against Somerset.

On paper the move doesn't make sense. Bautista hit .329 for the Revs. Singleton hasn't cracked .210.

But there's more to it than that.

The Revolution completed a three-way trade late Wednesday night, acquiring the rights to right-handed pitcher Scott Sobkowiak from Lancaster.

Sobkowiak was notified of the deal after the Revs defeated the Barnstormers.

Earlier in the day the Revs sent infielder Victor Gutierrez to Newark in exchange for reliever Barry Armitage (1-0, 4.38 ERA). Armitage was then traded to Lancaster for the rights to Sobkowiak (0-3, 7.20). It's not clear if Sobkowiak will report to York.

The deal is a head-scratcher.

Clipper Magazine Stadium is a busy place this afternoon.

Players are jumping ship from the South Division cellar-dwelling York and Lancaster franchises. And both teams are making moves to attempt a second-half push.

The biggest news involves York sending INF Victor Gutierrez to Newark for RHP Barry Armitage. Armitage is not expected to play for York, and could be packaged in a deal Thursday.

Also on the move, Lancaster expects to sign a utility infielder in the next few days.

These are the official deals announced in the last 48 hours:

Left fielder Kazu Tanaka is already one of the fan favorites at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The little guy has been navagating through the Atlantic League without the help of a translator. He speaks broken English, but has improved since his first hours in York.

Walking off the field after York's victory Saturday, Tanaka acknowledged several fans by waving his bat when they called out his name.

Although York has little home-field advantage at this point -- the Revs arrived in York from a game in Bridgewater, N.J., about seven hours before their first practice at the park -- Tanaka is learning how to play SB Stadium's wall.

Among the unfinished features at Sovereign Bank Stadium, the outfield walls are downright scary for outfielders.

The monster left field wall is plywood reinforced with steel. And the power alleys in left-center and right-center are poured concrete --- with no padding.

Manager Chris Hoiles said the team is talking about adding padding to the rock-hard walls.

The issue is player safety. Outfielders don't want to bang against the walls, and pitchers understand if a ball is hit to the warning track they might not see the best effort from their fielders.

Newark shortstop Ramon Castro fell to the ground in the first inning of Friday night's game. Bears manager Wayne Krenchicki expects to hear the final prognosis of Castro’s injury next week, but he isn’t optimistic about a return.

"I'd be willing to bet he's done for the year," Krenchicki said.

Castro had been slowed by a heel spur and recently received a cortisone injection. Krenchicki believes the spur may have caused a sheath or partial tear or fraying of Castro’s Achilles tendon. While not as devastating as a rupture, a partial tear could still require season-ending surgery and rehab.

A season-ending loss is a devastating setback for the Bears. Castro is tied with Bridgeport's Junior Spivey for the best batting average in the league (.368). He's third in hits and first in on-base percentage. He also anchored the infield.

June 14
Revs 13, Patriots 6

The Revolution will roll into town on a winning streak.

The Revs rallied from a five-run deficit to score a 13-6 victory against the Somerset Patriots at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J. The Revs are expected to arrive in York at about 2:30 a.m. before playing the franchise home opener at 7:17 p.m. at Sovereign Bank Stadium Friday.

Granted, Sovereign Bank Stadium hadn't passed inspection as of Thursday night. But, well, it's not like it's the last minute or anything. The folks on N. George St. still have roughly 19 hours to finalize the paperwork and open the gates for the franchise home opener.

Thanks to the Revs' wacky schedule, most local fans never got a chance to see three of York's best players. That's what happens when a stadium doesn't open until the 36th game of the season.

And don't look now but Tike Redman should earn a shot with the big club if one of the O's outfielders goes down with an injury. The former Pirates outfielder has the best batting average of any player on the Norfolk Tides (Triple-A), and none of the other three outfielders are hitting better than .230.

Here's a breakdown of the guys who didn't make it to the home opener:

The playing field at Sovereign Bank Stadium still needs some work.

Not much, but enough considering the Revs home opener is scheduled for Friday night.

* A large hole remains near the base of the left-field home run wall, but the manual scoreboard in is expected to be installed today.

* The foul poles in place along the first- and third-base lines still need to be painted yellow.

* The batter's eye in center field was installed Wednesday afternoon, and work continued on the visitors bullpen.

York's still scheduled to host a ballgame Friday, the city's first minor league ballgame since 1969.

But there are still some major obstacles.

The building needs to pass inspection. Team and stadium officials believe the stadium will be OK'd to open. But the final ruling might not happen until Friday morning.

There is little wiggle room for error here.

Here's the story that appears in today's York Daily Record.

This tidbit of news comes from Sovereign Bank Stadium project manager Blanda Nace.

The Revolution already have one fan waiting in line for the franchise home opener at 7:17 p.m. Friday.

That's right. One fan. Waiting in line. Sitting at the stadium with a hard hat.

"We were working on doing something special (for the first fan in line)," Revs general manager Matt O'Brien said, "but we'll be sure he's honored if he's that much of a diehard."

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OK so they never technically played in York. But that's not their fault. We have a half-finished stadium to thank for that mess. But we digress ....

Here's a look at three former Revs who earned promotions to affiliated ball.