Sea Dogs Blow Lead, Fall to Mets 8-5 in Walk-Off
Portland, Maine - The Portland Sea Dogs (0-1) held a four run lead in the sixth, but gave up seven unanswered runs and fell 8-5 in walk-off fashion to the Binghamton Mets (1-0) in Game One of the Eastern League's Eastern Division Championship Series. The final five runs in the game scored by the Mets were unearned and Portland's bullpen allowed the final six runs over two innings.
The Sea Dogs held a 5-2 lead, but the B-Mets charged back and tied the game with three runs against the bullpen in the eighth. Robby Scott was on the mound and gave up a leadoff double to Wilfredo Tovar and another to T.J. Rivera two batters later, which made it 5-3. Scott walked Brian Burgamy and he night came to an end on the mound.
Noe Ramirez was next out of the 'pen and induced a groundball to second, but Sean Coyle tossed the throw wide of the second base bag, allowing Rivera to score and Binghamton pulled to within 5-4. Darrell Ceciliani tied the game with an RBI sac fly.
Portland went quietly in the top of the ninth against Cody Satterwhite before Ramirez headed back to the mound in the bottom of the ninth.
Dustin Lawley struck out to begin the frame, but Mike Miller's error allowed Xorge Carrillo to reach and Tovar singled to put two on with one out. Ramirez struck out Brandon Nimmo before Rivera stepped in and launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in left center for a walk-off three-run homer.
The blast was his fourth hit of the night, and the three RBI brought his total up to five for the game. Ramirez (0-1) took home the blown save and loss with his inning and one-third, all three runs against him were unearned. Scott allowed three runs, one-earned in his one-third of an inning outing.
The first game in the series, as per usual, was billed as a pitcher's duel with Brian Johnson going for Portland and Tyler Pill for the BMets. Each pitcher tossed two scoreless before Binghamton plated the first run of the postseason in the third.
Carillo and Tovar began the rally with a walk and single respectively against the southpaw. Two batters later, Rivera singled to left, plated Carillo and gave the home team the 1-0 lead.
On the other side, Pill was dealing and had retired the first 11-men he faced to begin the game. Sean Coyle dug in as the 12th Portland batter of the night and crushed a 1-0 pitch from Pill over the wall in left for a game-tying solo home run.
Portland's centerfielder Rusney Castillo began the frame with his first Double-A base hit, an infield single to third against Pill. Mike Miller sacrificed him to second and Sean Coyle grounded out to third for the two outs that followed.
Castillo stole third during Keury De La Cruz's at-bat before the left fielder looped a single into left and gave the Sea Dogs the 2-1 lead. The inning continued with a Carson Blair single, which put runners at the corners with two outs for David Chester.
The big DH stepped in against the righty Pill and worked a 3-1 count into his favor. Chester got a high fastball from the Mets' starter and crushed a laser beam over the wall in left for a three-run shot, which gave Portland the 5-1 lead.
Binghamton began to chip away at the four-run deficit and scored a run of its own in the bottom of the sixth against Johnson. Rivera knocked a one-out double to left-center and scored two batters later on an RBI single by Jayce Boyd.
Johnson's night came to an end after seven strong innings. The lefty allowed just two runs on six hits, a walk and eight strikeouts. Pill went just five and two-third innings and allowed five runs on six hits, two walks, a hit batter, and four strikeouts.
The Sea Dogs and Mets will tee it up for Game two of the Eastern Division Championship Series Thursday night at 6:35 PM from NYSEG Stadium. Portland will send reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week RHP Justin Haley (3-2, 1.19) to the hill against Binghamton's RHP Greg Peavey (11-3, 2.90). Radio coverage begins at 6:15 PM on the WPEI U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network.