RiverDogs Return to the Playoffs, Break Records in 2017 Season
The Charleston RiverDogs continued to pave forward into a new era of success in 2017, making their second consecutive postseason appearance and taking advantage of a talented farm system in their 12th season as a Yankees affiliate. Under first-year skipper Patrick Osborn, the RiverDogs notched their second straight 77-win campaign
The Charleston RiverDogs continued to pave forward into a new era of success in 2017, making their second consecutive postseason appearance and taking advantage of a talented farm system in their 12th season as a Yankees affiliate. Under first-year skipper Patrick Osborn, the RiverDogs notched their second straight 77-win campaign between the regular season and postseason, broke the 300,000 mark for attendance in a year that ended in a first-round playoff exit to the Greenville Drive in the South Atlantic League Division Series.
Although the RiverDogs were bounced in the semifinal round of the postseason for the second straight year, they once again rebounded from an early setback, surging to a Game Two victory to keep their season alive. It marked just the second ever playoff win under the RiverDogs namesake, and just the second postseason win for the franchise since the Rainbows appeared in the League Finals in 1988.
Despite falling short of a Championship Series appearance, the RiverDogs consistently looked like the best team in the South Atlantic League, especially in the second-half when they led the circuit with a 42-27 mark and held at least a share for first-place in the division every day following the All-Star break. Charleston outscored their opponents 610-483 (+127) overall, the best run differential in franchise history with a dominant pitching staff that led the SAL in ERA (3.07) and an offense that ranked second in team batting average (.261) and fourth in runs scored (410).
The RiverDogs got out to a hot start to the season with a 7-3 mark in their first ten games that included two walk-off wins that saw them in a share for the division lead, but finished with a pedestrian 34-36 record, never looking down from the top of the standings again until the second-half. The core of the RiverDogs team stuck around until the deadline depleted many of Charleston's key contributors in early August..
In another dominant season for Charleston pitching, the RiverDogs staff set the franchise-record for strikeouts for the second straight year under pitching coach Justin Pope; the Charleston staff fanned 1,252 batters, surpassing the previous record of 1,248 set in 2016. Along with ranking second in the league in strikeouts, Charleston arms posted a SAL-best 3.07 ERA, the second-lowest in RiverDogs history and the third all-time in franchise history, bested only by the 2016 RiverDogs and 1988 Rainbows. The club's 1.174 WHIP was the best in club history, also surpassing the 2016 staff.
The RiverDogs' dominant bullpen was the most consistent part of the team all season long, logging a 1.98 ERA and accruing nearly half the team's strikeouts (581) in 509 1/3 innings.
Pinstriped Prospects
The New York Yankees' deep system was once again evident, and the RiverDogs took advantage with a slew of talent passing through the Lowcountry.
Charleston's biggest blue-chip prospect was undoubtedly outfielder
Charleston's staff was led by dominant starter
RiverDogs Bats Sizzle
While Florial was Charleston's lone postseason All-Star selection, the RiverDogs had seven representatives at the league's mid-summer classic in Columbia including four position players who would all depart the club via either call-ups or a trade by the end of the year. Infielders
Aguilar enjoyed his best season as a RiverDog at the plate while continuing to flash excellent defense at the hot corner; the Barinas, Venezuela native hit .265 while ripping three home runs in 66 games between two stints interrupted by a call up to Tampa in late-June. The fan-favorite Park opened the season for the second year in the Holy City, and responded with a solid second year, hitting .262 and reaching base at .358 clip while leading the Dogs with 18 stolen bases and launching a career-high six homers before being called up to Tampa on August 1. Another All-Star for the RiverDogs promoted in August, Sands was one of the most improved players in the second-half, taking off in his position change to catcher while hitting .269 with two homers and 45 RBI. The Yankee's first-round pick in 2016 (18th overall), Rutherford produced a solid season with Charleston (.281-2-30) before being traded to the White Sox at the deadline and finishing the year with the Kannapolis Intimidators.
The RiverDogs saw little drop off in their lineup after losing their All-Stars in early August, as call-ups of sluggers
Pitching with Success
Charleston's dominant bullpen was led by several key contributors throughout the year with four of the RiverDogs' top relief arms ending the season in either High-A or Double-A. Flame-throwing righty
Lefty
Right-hander
Young Dominican arms
Top Moments of the 2017 Season:
- After an Opening Night defeat, the RiverDogs rattle off four straight wins highlighted by come-from behind walk-offs on April 7 vs Lexington and April 10 vs Augusta:
Albert Abreu strikes out 11 Augusta batters, a season-high for a Charleston hurler, andAdonis Rosa K's seven more in a dominating three-hit shutout of the GreenJackets on April 12 at The Joe:- As part of their first road trip, Charleston comes back from an 8-3 deficit after three innings to blowout the Rome Braves 14-8 at State Mutual Stadium on April 13
- Yankees first-rounder Blake Rutherford makes a Sportscenter "Top Ten" Play with a stumbling catch into Shoeless Joe's Hill on April 21 vs Asheville at The Joe:
- Isiah Gilliam breaks out of his first month struggles with a 12-game hitting streak from May 8-14, en route to being named the league's Player of the Week for May 8-14
- The RiverDogs hang an 18-spot, the most runs scored by Charleston at The Joe since at least the turn of the century in a 18-4 shellacking of Augusta at Riley Park on May 20. Charleston pounds out 20 hits in the win and no Charleston batter records a strikeout despite coming to bat 46 times in the game.
- The RiverDogs walk it off in the bottom of the 13th to take it 2-1 over Greenville on an
Eduardo Navas RBI single: - Former Heisman Trophy winner
Tim Tebow travels to Charleston for the first time and the RiverDogs play in front of two crowds of 7,200+ on three straight sellouts against Columbia from June 16-18 - The RiverDogs knock off the Northern Division-leading Hagerstown Suns for their first series sweep from July 12-14 on the road at Municipal Stadium
- In what would be the fan-favorites final game as a RiverDogs, Korean shortstop Hoy Jun Park rips a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning and scores the winning run in a walk-off victory over Columbia on July 31 at The Joe:
- After no RiverDogs hitter recorded a multi-homer through the first 116 games of the season, Steven Sensley and then Dermis Garcia accomplish the feat once each in a span of three days on August 11 and 13 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark in Lexington
- Trailing 2-1 to Greenville in the bottom of the eighth at The Joe, newcomer Steven Sensley launches a go-ahead grand slam to lift the Dogs to a 5-2 win:
- Charleston eclipses the 300,000 mark in attendance for the first-time in franchise history in their penultimate home game of the year on August 30 vs Hickory
- Dermis Garcia launches a go-ahead three-run homer that sparks a seven-run eighth as the RiverDogs come from behind to clinch the Southern division second-half title on their final home game of the season on August 31 at Hickory:
- Charleston pitching eclipses their franchise record for strikeouts for the second straight year in a 2-8 defeat to Augusta on September 4 in the final game ever at Lake Olmstead Stadium to end the regular season:
Diego Castillo breaks a scoreless tie with a one-out RBI single into right field as the RiverDogs hang on in a nail-biting 2-1 win at Fluor Field to keep their season alive and force a decisive game three against the Drive in the SAL semifinals: