The York Revolution defeated a team of retired Atlantic League alumni, 12-2, on Saturday as part of York’s 2013 Fan Fest. To read the full story, click here.

York Dispatch photo editor Randy Flaum and intern Shelby Seaton also took plenty of photos at the event (To be exact, 55 pictures are posted).

Opening Day: Before we get to Fan Fest news, York manager Mark Mason named his Opening Day starter for Thursday against Bridgeport, in addition to his No. 2 starter and his plans for the rest of the rotation. Click here to read that story.

Fan Fest: Making his first spring training start – and his first in a Revs uniform – right-hander Brett Tomko went four innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts, throwing 46 of 72 pitches for strikes. Tomko had a shaky first inning, allowing a run on two hits, before settling in the rest of the way.

“The first inning, that was going really fast,” Tomko said.  “The first time the game feels really fast. I’m making the adjustments after the first inning. It’s the first time I threw pitches at full speed. It’s working out of bad habits. It was interesting. I’m happy with it. The shapes of my pitches were good.”

York, which improved to 3-0 in spring training, had a little scare in the top of the first inning when Tomko’s left non-throwing wrist got hit on a bouncer off the bat of Matt Hagen. Tomko had a sleeve on his wrist after the game to keep the swelling down on the bruise on his wrist, but said he feels fine.

“I didn’t get hit all last year. Then the first inning, boom! Welcome to York,” Tomko said.

York relievers Wade Korpi, Joe Testa, Julio DePaula, Josh Judy and Juan Rincon each tossed a scoreless inning in relief.

(Note*Before we get to alumni team highlights, wanted to note that York third baseman Andy Marte did not see action Saturday because he is still recovering from stiffness in his leg, which first developed in Thursday’s scrimmage at Somerset. Mason said Marte did some running Saturday morning and felt better than the day before: “I just told him ‘You’re down today for sure and maybe tomorrow (Sunday). I’m in no hurry to run him back out there. I think next time he plays it’ll be DH. It doesn’t look like a tear. Tehre’s no bruising. I just think it’s sore.”)

Alumni highlights: The player who had perhaps the most impressive performance for the alumni team was former York reliever Sean Stidfole, who retired after pitching for York in 2011.

The right-handed reliever tossed a scoreless inning for the alumni team, striking out two and giving up one hit. His pitch speed was in the upper 80s.

“I tried messing with him from third base when he was doing his warm-up pitches and he wouldn’t even look at me,” said Mason, who coached Stidfole in 2011. “I went out there and I’m like ‘Stid’, easy. Take it easy on us.’ He wouldn’t even look (at me). After he struck the first guy out he looked at me and I’m like ‘Yeah, I know.’”

All of this is even more incredible considering Stidfole told me in pre-game batting practice that he had only pitched once since last playing for York in 2011.

“It means a lot to me (coming back to York,” Stidfole said. “I really appreciate the fact I got invited to this. There’s only, I’m sure, a select few people who get to come back. But I really appreciate it. Obviously I miss the game. I’ll miss it forever. The chance to come out here just to have a little fun with old teammates, it is great.”

Stidfole, 29, said he is still working full-time for Morrison, Inc., a geothermal and air conditioning company based out of Duncannon. He lives about an hour’s drive north of York.

Former Revs outfielder Val Majewski had arguably the best bat of any alumni players, his highlight was an RBI double off of Tomko in the top of the first inning.

“I played with Val a couple years ago at Round Rock (the Class AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers),” Tomko said. “It’s funny, he (Majewski) got on second base and he’s like ‘What are you doing?’ I had thrown a change-up to him. He’s like ‘That’s right at my bat speed.’ It was fun to see those guys.”

Majewski’s performance isn’t all that surprising considering he batted plus-.300 in 41 combined games at Class AAA Round Rock the last two seasons (he played mostly at Class AA Frisco last year). He’s not bitter about not getting called up to the Rangers’ big league roster in neither of the last two seasons.

“I was there to go in and be a fill-in guy. I don’t know if they expected me to do as well – I don’t even know if I expected myself to do as well as I did,” Majewski said. “They had a lot of outfielders and in-house guys to fill in with injuries and guys who were already on the 40-man roster. I was happy for the opportunity with them. I was just happy to be playing everyday where I was at that point.”

Majewski, 32, said he continues to stay in game shape and that he’s still not officially retired.”Not yet. I’m not like a major league guy where I’ll have a press conference to announce anything,” he said. “If anybody called me I’d entertain it for sure. I just didn’t get a call this year.”

Majewski said he’s working from home for an insurance agency while living in Maryland with his wife and their four-year-old son and four-month-old daughter.“The daughter was born in December,” he said. “Now I have two kids to support. I’d love to keep playing if I was 50 and I was physically able. But I got worry about my family now.”

Left-hander Wayne Franklin, who retired after the 2010 season, got the start for the alumni team. He got tagged for eight runs (six earned) on five hits and eight walks in four innings of work, throwing 99 total pitches. Seven of the runs came in the second inning.Chatting in pre-game warm-ups, Franklin said he still stays in baseball shape throwing in a batting cage at his California home with his three teenage sons. His 14-year-old is a pitcher, the 15-year-old a center-fielder and the 16-year-old a catcher.

“My wife and I built this huge cage in our backyard,” Franklin said. “It’s 16 feet high, 16 feet wide. I’m throwing batting practice all the time.”

Franklin said he currently provides baseball lessons and is looking at getting into coaching in the future.

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Wayne Franklin, Daryl Harang, Sean Stidfole, Jason Aspito and Val Majewski are among the names coming back to York in 2013. Well, for one day anyway. The Revs revealed plans for this year’s 2013 Fan Fest event slated for April 13 at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

The 2013 Revolution squad will play an exhibition game against several Atlantic League alums.

Joining the names above on the alumni team will be pitcher Eric Ackerman, catcher Kevin Kotch, infielders Rayner Bautista, Travis Hake and current Revs’ third base coach Enohel Polanco. Also on the alumni team will be outfielder Justin Singleton and infielders Matt Hagen, Vito Chiaravalloti, Matt Cavagnaro and Matt Padgett.

For an alumni team, the list of players is pretty impressive when you consider all the parameters that go into finding guys willing to play on this one day. And from what I’ve been told, Revs’ play-by-play man Darrell Henry is responsible for that. So, shout out to DH on a bang up job.

Another interesting tidbit are the jerseys the alumni team will be wearing. The jerseys feature a logo from every Atlantic League team, past and present, with current franchise logos on the front and former franchise logos on the back. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the free event.

For more information on the event, including who will manage the alumni team, the time gates open, a special pre-game autograph session and country music concert, click here.

 

 

President’s Day: Speaking of Atlantic League alumni, check out former Somerset Patriots’ play-by-play man Adam Amin in this get-up on President’s Day while calling a college hoops game for ESPN. It caught the eye (or ire?) of Deadspin.com, but only because sideline reporter Joe Lunardi dressed as Ben Franklin for the event (I know. I had to hit myself in the head, too, when I realized Franklin was never the POTUS). Amin left the Patriots following the 2011 season to call various sports for ESPN. This makes me wonder…should Darrell Henry do something similar calling a Revs’ game on the Fourth of July? I mean, he wouldn’t be alone in the attire. Cannonball Charlie dresses like that for EVERY home game.

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Starting pitcher Nick Schumacher has re-signed with the Sioux City Explorers, of the independent American Association. The team announced the deal last week.

The York Revolution had obtained the former San Diego Padres prospect late last season from Sioux City to help the Revs with their playoff push.

At the time of the deal, Schumacher was 10-5 in 21 starts and two relief appearances for Sioux City. His 3.03 ERA ranked third and 123 strikeouts ranked second in the American Association.

Schumacher, 26, ended up being a huge pickup for York. The righty went 3-2 with a 2.37 ERA in seven starts, including a 1-1 mark with a 1.31 ERA in two playoff starts. His most impressive outing came in Game 2 of the Atlantic League Championship Series, when he pitched a complete game eight-inning performance but was credited with the loss because he gave up one run in the third inning of a 1-0 loss at Long Island. In that game, he allowed just four hits and struck out six.

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Former York Revolution reliever Sean Stidfole said Thursday (Jan. 19) that he is retiring. Stidfole broke the news at the York Area Sports Night event at Heritage Hills, at which he participated in.

The Harrisburg native and Penn State University product has been a key relief pitcher for the Revs each of the last two seasons. In 2010, the right-hander went 2-3 with a 1.90 ERA in a club-record 68 appearances — the record was broken in 2011 by reliever Ronnie Morales, who made 70 appearances.

This past season, Stidfole went 5-4 with a 3.79 ERA in 60 appearances. The 27-year-old has a career record of 18-13 with a 3.68 ERA in seven minor league seasons.

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The York Revolution had jumped out to a 4-0 start this season, thanks in large part to its hitting.

Through seven innings Thursday night at Sovereign Bank Stadium, however, it appeared York’s pitching would be showcased in the Revs’ attempt to start 5-0.

But after a pair of Revs’ relievers blew a 3-0 lead in the eighth and ninth innings, the game again would come down to a York hitter, this time in the form of imposing 6-foot, 6-inch Jason Botts.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th, Botts came to the plate as York’s leadoff batter. And on the second pitch from reliever Travis Minix, Botts swung and made history by nailing it over the left-field wall for a walkoff home run, giving York (5-0) its best start in franchise history.

As soon as he made contact, Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren knew the ball was gone.

“I’ll tell you one thing, (Botts) smashed it. I knew it was going over the wall when he hit it. He’s a strong fella,” Etchebarren said.

The win marks the fourth game in a row that York has won by a run. The last time the Revs won four one-run games in a row was to start the second half of the 2009 season. Thursday’s victory also marked the second game in a row that York won in walkoff fashion. On Wednesday night, Revs’ catcher Octavio Martinez got a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Botts in an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Somerset (1-4).

“Maybe that is gonna be our thing for the season, we’ll just play better when we’re behind,” Botts joked. “But we’ll try not to rely on that too much.”

Somerset starter Kris Honel kept York’s bats quiet until the fifth, when Vince Harrison led off with a single and stole a base. After retiring the next two batters, Honel hit Scott Grimes with a pitch and was relieved by Casey Cahill. Liu Rodriguez and Val Majewski followed with RBI singles to put York up 2-0.

The two runs were credited to Honel, who struck out two and surrendered two hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Majewski added another RBI single in the seventh off of reliever Jeff Kennard to extend the lead to 3-0.

On the mound for York, pitcher Matt DeSalvo (0-0) tossed 51/3 scoreless innings in his second start of the season. He struck out six and walked one while giving up two hits.

Ronnie Morales relieved DeSalvo in the sixth and performed just as well, pitching a full inning while giving a hit and striking out two. Sean Stidfole relieved Morales in the seventh to retire the final batter.

Things went awry for York in the eighth and ninth, though. Reliever Mike DeMark gave up a two-out, RBI triple to Joe Holden, then an RBI double to Fernando Cortez, bringing Somerset within 3-2.

In the ninth, Somerset’s Jason Pressley started things with a single off closer R.J. Rodriguez. Patriots’ outfielder Michael Hernandez followed with an RBI double, tying the game at 3-3 and giving Rodriguez his first blown save of the year.

Rodriguez prevented Somerset from doing even more damage, though, working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by fielding a grounder up the middle to get a force out at home, and then striking out Holden to end the inning.

Jeremy Lewis (2-0) was credited with a win for York by pitching a perfect 10th. Minix (0-1) tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings for Somerset before giving up the solo shot to Botts in the 10th.

York will next travel to Camden (1-5) for a three-game set on Friday and Saturday. The clubs will play a doubleheader on Friday.

Game Notes:

–At 5-0, York remains as the only unbeaten Atlantic League team thus far. York is currently two games ahead of Lancaster (3-2) and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Road Warriors (2-2) in the Freedom Division.

–The Somerset Patriots have been a successful franchise in their 14-year tenure, having won five Atlantic League titles. That’s why it’s surprising to know that this year’s 1-4 start is still not the franchise’s worst. That would be held by the 2009 team that started 1-5.

—In four appearances thus far, Morales has given up just one hit and walked one while striking out two in 2 1/3 innings.

—With his two RBIs on Thursday, Majewski now leads the Atlantic League in RBIs (eight). In the last three games, Majewski is batting .571 (8-for-14) with seven RBIs, three runs scored and a homer.

–Etchebarren said the reason reliever Michael Nix has not pitched at all so far this season is because Nix has been battling elbow tenditis since the beginning of spring training. Nix has been throwing in practice and should be OK soon, though, Etchebarren said.

–Infielder Ramon Castro, who played for York all of last year, is yet to arrive in York this season. Revs director of baseball operations Michael Kirk said he is still dealing with paperwork with Castro’s work visa, which needs to be taken care of before Castro can come from his native Venezuela to the United States.

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The 2010 Atlantic League title is a thing of the past for the York Revolution.

But it appears the momentum from last year’s championship has carried over into 2011.

After winning the season opener on Friday in a commanding 8-2 victory, York followed up on Saturday and Sunday with back-to-back come-from-behind wins.

“It says competitiveness,” Revs’ outfielder James Shanks said Sunday after York’s 6-5 victory over the Camden Riversharks at Sovereign Bank Stadium. “You come out and play to win the game. You hate losing. Sometimes it’s good to lose. But to start off with wins is good, it gets the momentum going.”

Shanks played a big role in York’s victory on Sunday. With York down 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the right-handed hitter smacked a three-run home run over the left-field wall to tie the score at 3-3. Shanks finished 2-for-4 on the day. Not bad for his first start for York this season.

Shanks, who played for York all of last year, hadn’t started until Sunday because he arrived to spring training late after he was involved in a two-car accident about a week ago. He crashed into the back of a cement truck at a stop light, injuring his arm and causing some soreness in his upper body.

After spending the past week recovering, Shanks said he’s fine now.

“My power is there. But my timing is still off a little,” he said.

The score remained tied until the top of the sixth inning, when Revs reliever Celson Polanco gave up a solo home run to Noah Hall and an RBI single to Andrew Jenkins, giving Camden (0-3) a 5-3 lead.

York drew within 5-4 in the bottom half of that inning when outfielder Val Majewski scored from third on a wild pitch by Camden reliever Mike Koplove.

Koplove had relieved starter Robert Rohrbaugh that inning. Rohrbaugh, a Littlestown High School graduate, tossed 52/3 innings in his first Atlantic League start, giving up six hits and four earned runs — his only major mistake being the three-run homer to Shanks.

Down a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, York had the bases loaded with one out when Majewski stepped to the plate and hit a two-run single off of Koplove to put the Revs ahead, 6-5.

Majewski broke out of a 1-for-8 slump on Sunday, going 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs.

York reliever Jason Richardson, who made his 400th appearance as pro, picked up the win by tossing 2/3 of a scoreless inning in the seventh.

Relievers Ronnie Morales and Sean Stidfole combined for a scoreless eighth inning. And closer R.J. Rodriguez picked up his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

The win for York (3-0) marked the first season-opening sweep in franchise history. It also keeps the Revs alone in first place atop the Freedom Division.

York will attempt its first 4-0 start in franchise history when it returns to action on Wednesday to host Somerset at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Game Notes

–Returning the favor: The Revs were swept in Camden to open the 2008 season. York returned the favor by sweeping Camden this weekend.

–Milestone: Shanks is just one home run away from reaching 50 homers in the Atlantic League, and is just three home runs away from reaching 100 for his career.

–Playing injured: Chris Walker played second base for just the fourth time in his pro career on Sunday. He replaced Liu Rodriguez, who was injured the night before when he was plowed over in the basepath by a Camden runner when trying to make a play on a ground ball. Before the game Sunday, Rodriguez said he would not play until Wednesday because he was recovering from the collision – his left leg and neck were sore, he said. Revs manager Andy Etchebarren plugged Rodriguez in at second base in the top of the eighth inning, though, when Camden was down by just a run with a runner on first and one out. The move paid off, as the next Camden batter, Raul Padron grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Game Box:

Batting

Camden:

J. Francia, SS: 0-for-5, K

L.Turner, 2B: 1-for-4, run, RBI

M.Lamb, DH: 1-for-4, run, walk

B.Burgamy, 1B: 1-for-4, run, K

N.Hall, LF: 2-for-4, run, 2 RBIs

D.Macias, CF: 2-for-3, run, RBI, walk

A.Jenkins, 3B: 1-for-4, RBI, K

T.Hall, C/PH: 0-for-1

J.Hill, RF: 1-for-4, 2 Ks

York:

S.Grimes, CF: 0-for-3, run, walk

C.Walker, 2B: 0-for-3, run, K

L.Rodriguez, 2B: 0-for-0

V.Majewski, RF: 4-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs

J.Botts, 1B: 2-for-4, run, K

M.Ori, DH: 0-for-4, 2 Ks

J.Shanks, LF: 2-for-4, run, 3 RBIs

V.Harrison, 3B: 0-for-4, K

S.Paniagua, C: 2-for-4, run, 2 Ks

V.Pope, SS: 0-for-3

Pitching:

Camden:

R.Rohrbaugh: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

M.Koplove: L, 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB

J.Marshall: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K

E Camacho: 1 IP, 1 H

York:

C.Cody: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

C. Polanco: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER

S.Rice: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K

J. Richardson: W (1-0), 0.2 IP, 1 K

R. Morales: 0.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K

S.Stidfole: 0.2 IP

R.Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 K, 1 HBP

Other:

Doubles: Y, Majewski, Shanks; C, Hill 2

3B: C, Macias

HR: Y, Shanks; C, Turner, Hall

RBI: Y, Majewski 2, Shanks 3; C, Turner, Hall 2, Macias, Jenkins

Stolen base: Y, Botts; C, Francia, Lamb

Left on base: Y 6; C 7

 

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