
SWB RailRiders Game Notes - May 25, 2021
May 25, 2021 - International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release
Buffalo Bisons (11-7) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (13-5)
RHP Connor Overton (1-0, 1.20 ERA) vs. LHP Nestor Cortes (1-1, 1.64 ERA)
| Game 19 | Home Game 7 | PNC Field | Moosic, PA | May 25, 2021 | First Pitch 6:35 p.m. |
FAST OUT OF THE GATE: With 13 wins in 18 games, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have kept themselves in elite company across minor league baseball. Entering play on Tuesday there are only 12 teams across minor league baseball with 13 wins, with only Jacksonville at that mark among Triple-A teams. There are two teams (Bowie; AA, BAL and Quad Cities; High-A, KC) with 13-4 records, while the rest of the 13-win teams have five losses. Overall, the Yankees have the best organizational record in baseball (48-24, .667), a full 2.0 games better than Seattle (45-25, .643). The RailRiders are off to their best start to a season since the 2009 SWB Yankees went 17-3 in the month of April.
MARATHON MEN: After Saturday night's 9-8 win over the Rochester Red Wings took 4 hours and 6 minutes to complete, the RailRiders have played three of the four longest 9-inning games in franchise history this season. In a cruel twist, Saturday's game also included a 10-minute delay for "wet grounds" at the start of the game. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had not played a game lasting longer than four hours since Aug. 21, 2015 against Rochester, although that game lasted 14 innings. Before this season, there had never been a four hour 9-inning game in the RailRiders era (2013 - Pres.) of SWB baseball.
DINGER ALERT: After shattering the SWB franchise record with 212 home runs in 2019 (previously 164 in 1998), the RailRiders are at it again, hitting 27 home runs in their first 18 games this season. The 27 round-trippers hit by SWB puts the club in second place in Triple-A East with Charlotte and Worcester, trailing Durham (35). The RailRiders are tied for seventh in minor league baseball in home runs, with Salt Lake (AAA, LAA) leading the way with 38 dingers. The long ball surge has been a true team effort, as only Chris Gittens (t-12th, 4) ranks in the top 15 in home runs in Triple-A East.
WALK-A-THON: Through 18 games this season, the RailRiders have drawn 103 walks, the most in all of Triple-A baseball. No other team in the minors' highest level has taken more than 97 bases on balls (Gwinnett). Overall, the RailRiders are 7th in all of minor league baseball in walks, with Tampa (Low-A, NYY) and St. Lucie (Low-A, NYM) leading the way with 122 walks. SWB's team .369 OBP is best in the Triple-A East League, and ranks 8th across all levels of the minors. There are currently four teams in Triple-A East with team OBPs greater than .350. Buffalo (.352) has the third-best OBP of the 20-team league. The Bisons are also slugging .439 as a team, and sport the league's third-best OPS at .792 (Durham, .857; SWB, .809).
#SQUADUP: The RailRiders received three players this week from Double-A Somerset, and all three have made meaningful impacts in the series against Rochester. INFs Hoy Park, Brandon Wagner and OF Thomas Milone have combined to hit .328 (22-for-67) with 10 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBIs, 13 BB, 20 K and 2 HBP. In Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Red Wings, Park and Milone drove in all three SWB runs, while all three have contributed strong play on the defensive end as well.
AIN'T NO PARTY LIKE A MOOSIC PARTY: While the RailRiders have only played six games at home this season, the team features some incredible home/road splits, especially on the pitching side. At PNC Field, SWB pitching has a 1.83 staff ERA, and is posting rates of 11.83 K/9, 4.50 BB/9 and a 1.17 WHIP. That is compared to a 5.33 ERA, 9.77 K/9, 6.57 BB/9 and a 1.56 WHIP on the road. The home run split is even more stark, with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre allowing only one home run at home this year (0.17/G) and 16 HRs on the road (1.33/G). In 2019, the RailRiders were 45-26 (.634) at home, and are 215-143 (.601) at PNC Field since the beginning of the 2015 season, and sport an average season record of approximately 42-28.
BUFFALO BLUES: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders will only face the Buffalo Bisons 18 times this season, tied with Rochester for the least-played opponent of the season. 12 of those games take place in the 18-game stretch from May 25 through June 13, and then the teams do not face ach other again until August 31. The RailRiders do not make a trip to Buffalo this season, with the Bisons playing their home games in Trenton while the Toronto Blue Jays are taking over Sahlen Field beginning on June 1 to play their American League games for the second straight season. The Blue Jays had been playing at TD Bank Park in Dunedin, Florida during April and May while Canada has not allowed them to play in Toronto due to international travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
International League Stories from May 25, 2021
- It Truly Is Heaven as Saints Crush Iowa Cubs, 17-6 - St. Paul Saints
- Bisons Rally Past RailRiders, 5-2, to Close the Gap in Northeast Standings - Buffalo Bisons
- Eickhoff Leads Syracuse to 5-2 Win over Rochester - Syracuse Mets
- Bulls Plate Thirteen Unanswered, Broil Jumbo Shrimp 13-5 - Durham Bulls
- Three Hits, Three Runs Bury Indy in Series Opener - Indianapolis Indians
- WooSox Held to Two Runs in 4-2 Loss at Lehigh Valley - Worcester Red Sox
- Walk-off Passed Ball Wins it for Pigs - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Sounds Homer Three Times in Win over Clippers - Nashville Sounds
- Redbirds Rally Again, But Fall Short at Gwinnett - Memphis Redbirds
- Knights Fall in Tuesday's Opener to Tides 5-4 - Charlotte Knights
- Mets Beat Wings, 5-2, Tuesday - Rochester Red Wings
- RailRiders Fall in Ninth - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Hens Halt Late Rally to Escape with 2-1 Win - Louisville Bats
- Hens Pitching Prevails in 2-1 Victory - Toledo Mud Hens
- First Bark in the Park of 2021 is Wednesday, May 26 - Rochester Red Wings
- Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (11-6) at Omaha Storm Chasers (10-7) - Indianapolis Indians
- May 25 Game Notes: Iowa vs. St. Paul - Iowa Cubs
- 2019 MiLB Gold Glove Winner, Mark Contreras, Promoted to Saints Outfield - St. Paul Saints
- Free Hot Dogs at Redbirds Friday Night Games in June? Yes, Please - Memphis Redbirds
- August Baseball at Victory Field Highlighted MVP's CareerÃâà- Indianapolis Indians
- Clippers Announce 100% Capacity in June - Columbus Clippers
- SWB RailRiders Game Notes - May 25, 2021 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Memphis Redbirds Game Notes: May 25, 2021 - Memphis Redbirds
- First Horizon Park to Host Tennessee Honey Festival on October 3 - Nashville Sounds
- Bats Return Home Tonight for 12-Game Homestand - Louisville Bats
- Single-Game Tickets for June 1-13 Bulls Home Games Now on Sale - Durham Bulls
- Jumbo Shrimp Unveil Haskell Suite Level - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
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