Ian Thomas is first former Rev to play on an MLB playoff-clinching squad
When the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West on September 29, former York Revolution pitcher Ian Thomas (’12) was a part of the clubhouse celebration, a member of the Dodgers expanded September roster. Thomas is the first former Rev to be on an MLB roster when that team clinched a playoff spot.
Last season, former Revs catcher Octavio Martinez (’11), who is in his third season as a member of the Washington Nationals Major League coaching staff, was a part of their NL East clinching celebration, but it’s Thomas who will hold the distinction of being the first Rev to enjoy a big league champagne and Budweiser shower. Thomas is the second former York player to be part of an MLB playoff team at any point in the season; last year RHP Julio DePaula (’13-’15) was on the Orioles Major League roster for one game, but not with the club when they celebrated clinching the AL East.
Mikey Reynolds’ contract purchased by Cardinals
The York Revolution has announced the Atlantic League contract of infielder Mikey Reynolds has been purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals. It marks the first time in the nine-year history of the Revolution that St. Louis has purchased the contract of a York player in-season, and Reynolds is the second former Rev to join the Cardinals organization.
Reynolds joined York shortly after the 2015 season began, signing with the Revolution on April 28 after his rights were acquired from the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association a day earlier. Reynolds quickly became a fixture in the Revs lineup as the club’s primary leadoff man, with his average ascending to .346 by May 25. On that date however, Reynolds sustained a broken thumb on his throwing hand on a ground ball, and the injury sidelined him nearly seven weeks, as he returned to the lineup July 11.
Thank you fans for a great 2015 season!
The video above is just a small token of our appreciation for what was a wonderful ninth season in Downtown York. You may have heard rumblings by now, but big things are in store for next season when we’ll celebrate our 10th anniversary. (CLICK HERE to vote for the 10th Anniversary team.) As usual, Revolution fans were the truth during the 2015 season, and right through the final series against Somerset. The second to last game of the season September 19 drew a season-high 6,291 fans to Santander Stadium (11-6 win), and a day later the season ended with the third-largest crowd of 2015, when the Little League National Champions from Red Land were in the house in front of 6,053 (7-3 win).
It says a lot about the fans when two of your three 6,000-plus crowds for the season are on the final two days when the team is out of the playoff race, but our most fervent fans know better than anyone the second half Revs were a much different club than the first half this season:
Former Revolution outfielder Shannon Wilkerson wins Double-A Championship with Chattanooga Lookouts
When the Minnesota Twins purchased the contract of Shannon Wilkerson from the York Revolution on July 9, it marked the first time a former Rev went to work for that organization. Upon his assignment to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League, each party took full advantage of the transaction, as the Lookouts won their first championship since 1988 on September 21, defeating the Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers) 4-0 in the deciding Game 5 of the series.
Chattanooga rallied from a 2-1 series deficit, winning Games 4 and 5 at home to secure their first Southern League title in 27 seasons. Wilkerson, who immediately moved into an everyday role with his new club as their center fielder, batting either lead-off or ninth, was a big factor in the series going 7-for-19 (.368) with an RBI and a run. In nine postseason games, Wilkerson hit .303 with five RBI and five runs scored. To advance to the finals, Chattanooga dispatched the Montgomery Biscuits (Rays), in four games.
Andres Perez named 2015 Revolution MVP: Celebrates by going 4-for-5 with a 3-run homer and 6 RBI
Photo by Tom “Mo” Moschella. (@Revsphotos)
Prior to the game on September 19, York Revolution infielder Andres Perez was presented with the organization’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2015 season, by Team President Eric Menzer and Manager Mark Mason. All Perez did to celebrate the occasion was go 4-for-5 with a two-run double and a three-run homer, and his six total RBI helped the Revs beat Somerset 11-6 in the penultimate game of the season. The Saturday night crowd at Santander Stadium was a season-high 6,291.
In his third season as a Rev, Perez has re-written a good portion of the York record book. On July 19 at Lancaster, he became the Revolution all-time hit leader with his 384th in franchise history, and sits at 465 career hits with York after September 19. That’s now 82 more hits than the man Perez passed, James Shanks (383).
Perez is also the career-Revolution leader in doubles (105), extra-base hits (163), total bases (738), games played (395) and at-bats (1556). His 248 RBI in a Revs uniform makes him the all-time franchise leader in that category as well. (The night Perez became the franchise RBI leader August 14 at Bridgeport, he also drove in six runs, in a 3-for-6 effort, also with a double and a homer in a 13-5 win.) Perez is currently second on the Revolution career home run list; his 16 this season makes for a total of 52, seven shy of Chris Nowak’s 59.
Ian Thomas part of MLB-record 58 players (24 pitchers) used in Rockies-Dodgers 16-inning game
This photo explains it all. Former Revs lefty Ian Thomas was one of a MLB-record 58 players used in a single game when the Rockies and Dodgers played 16 innings on September 15 (and into 9/16).
The jersey number former York Revolution pitcher Ian Thomas (’12) has worn in his two Major League seasons with the Braves and Dodgers will now carry some coincidental significance; by pitching one third of an inning on September 15 during the 16-inning game between Colorado and Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, Thomas was part of a game which featured a MLB-record 58 players used. 24 pitchers were used in the game, also a big league-record.
Tied 3-3 in the top of the 10th with two out, Thomas came in and retired the only man he faced, Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez on a ground out to short. It always seems to happen in marathon extra-inning games: Each team scored a run in the 11th to keep the game going. After Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu put the Rockies ahead with a one-out RBI single to center, staffed at the time by Lancaster native Chris Heisey, it was Heisey who returned the favor with a one-out run-scoring infield single of his own to extend the game. Go figure there ends up being a York and Lancaster connection to this bit of Major League history.
Revolution have six players with 10 or more homers for third time
That titanic Telvin Nash home run allowed the 2015 Revolution to share a milestone reached only by the 2010 and 2011 championship clubs. It was Nash’s 10th of 2015, which made him the sixth Rev this season to reach double-digit homers. As of September 15, Andres Perez (15), Bryan Pounds (13), Brandon Boggs (12), Eric Patterson (10), Nick Ferdinand (10) and Telvin Nash (10) paced York in home runs this season. What’s especially impressive is Ferdinand and Nash were not with the club until June.
It was the third time the Revolution accomplished the feat, joining the 2010 Revs…
Shannon Wilkerson helps Chattanooga Lookouts to Southern League Finals
Upon joining the Revolution on May 22, outfielder Shannon Wilkerson quickly endeared himself to York with his hustle and defense, and it didn’t take long for the Minnesota Twins to notice as well. After the Twins purchased Wilkerson’s Atlantic League contract on July 9, the seven-year pro was assigned to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League.
With a 4-1 road win over the Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays) on September 14 to win the best-of-five series 3-1, Wilkerson and Chattanooga advanced to the Southern League Championship where they’ll face the Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers), also a best-of-five. Wilkerson carried Chattanooga in Game 3 to take control of the series, when he went 3-for-3, drove in two runs, and scored two runs in a 7-3 Lookouts victory. Both of his RBI came with two out, to take a 2-1 series lead.
With Chattanooga, Wilkerson actually out-performed his numbers in York in the first half of the season; he hit .256 with two home runs and 16 RBI, batting primarily in the lead-off spot for the Revolution, in 40 games. His on-base percentage during that time was .305 however, and he scored 20 runs and racked up 11 extra base hits, adding seven doubles and two triples. In Chattanooga, Wilkerson finished the season hitting .292 with a homer and 22 RBI in 49 games, and scored 30 runs while collecting five doubles and four triples, as the Lookouts primary lead-off man as well.
Alumni Update: Cody comeback in 2017?
In June of 2014, Chris Cody, the most decorated left-handed starting pitcher in Revolution history had his Atlantic League contract purchased by the Chinatrust Brothers Elephants of the Chinese Professional Baseball League on the island of Taiwan. Cody, second in wins, strikeouts and most other all-time franchise pitching totals to only Corey Thurman, departed the club he had played for since 2011, aside from finishing that season with the Atlanta Braves at Double-A.
While Cody had certainly grown fond of York, a feeling returned and then some by Revolution fans, the salary opportunity in what is essentially the Major Leagues for China was too lucrative for the 10-year professional to pass up. The Elephants received exactly what they paid for when Cody settled into their rotation and capped the 2014 season with a 14-strikeout game to advance his club to the CPBL finals.
Between last season and beginning this year in the CPBL however, Cody sustained a tear to his ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, and replacing that ligament is known to all as Tommy John surgery. With an approximate recovery and rehab schedule of a calendar year before pitchers coming off Tommy John are able to pitch in a competitive situation, Cody is realistically looking at being inactive all of next season, with a targeted return of spring 2017 to pitch again. He underwent the surgery in late August at Manhattan’s Hospital for Special Surgery – performed by New York Mets head of orthopedic medicine Dr. David Altchek. Altchek was the same doctor that properly diagnosed former Revolution lefty Scott Rice’s elbow injury after several misreads; and eventually Altchek’s care paved the way for Rice’s path from York in 2011 to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, before eventually pitching for the Mets on opening day 2013, after signing with them as a free agent.
The York Revolutionary Times recently caught up with Cody to discuss his pending rehab schedule, his plans for spending a year away from pro baseball in 2016 for the first time in a decade, and his potential for a comeback – one would assume with the Revolution – by the spring of 2017.
Revolution blast four homers in a game, Paniagua continues tear with a walk-off grand slam
The Revolution outlasted Bridgeport 10-6 on September 4, on a humid night where the ball was certainly jumping off the bat at Santander Stadium. In a game which featured five home runs, York hit four of them (above) including a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth by Salvador Paniagua. All were no-doubters, with Brandon Boggs, Telvin Nash and Nick Ferdinand also going deep.
For Paniagua, it continued a streak of him being red hot at the plate; the longest tenured position player in Revolution history (fifth season) was hitting .357 (30-for-84) with five home runs and 21 RBI in his last 21 games, as of September 5. His walk-off slam was his third home run in as many nights, after he homered twice and drove in five runs in a 4-for-4 effort in a 9-2 home win over Camden on September 2.
Little League World Series National Champion to be honored at September 20 game, Revolution to wear Red Land replica jerseys
The Revolution will wear these Red Land Little League replica jerseys against Somerset on Sunday, September 20 to wrap the 2015 season.
When the Red Land Little League All-Stars are honored at the York Revolution game on Sunday, September 20, it will be about their last stop on a whirlwind tour of media and pro ballparks after their dominating run to the championship game in Williamsport and the U.S. National Championship.
After captivating not only Pennsylvania but the country, the team will be a part of one last celebration in their home county, as the Revolution battle the Somerset Patriots on the final day of the Atlantic League regular season. Game time is at 2 p.m., with the gates at Santander Stadium opening at 1 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE THE SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20 GAME WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR 5 P.M. – THE GAME TIME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 2 P.M.
The entire Red Land Little League team is scheduled to be in attendance, and the team will be taking batting practice on the field from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Fans entering the gates during that time are welcome to watch, and may go down to the bottom of the seating bowl to see the players, take pictures with them and ask for autographs.
Stephen Penney named 2015 Community Outreach Player of the Year
Revolution President Eric Menzer and Manager Mark Mason presented Stephen Penney with this plaque prior to the game on September 2, honoring him as Community Outreach Player of the Year for 2015.
In conjunction with United Way Campaign Kick-Off Night at Santander Stadium on September 2, right-handed reliever Stephen Penney was presented with the York Revolution 2015 Community Outreach Player of the Year award prior to the game. The Revs wore special “Live United” jerseys pictured above, and a silent auction of the game-worn uniforms from the 9-2 win over Camden benefited the United Way.
Each season, the organization selects one player who goes above and beyond his player contract, to help ensure the York Revolution remain the most family-friendly outlet in the area. The award goes to a player that has a true understanding of the role a minor league baseball franchise plays in its community.
Penney, in his fourth season with the Revolution, was a logical choice as this season’s honoree. The award is also very much a reflection of his efforts as one of the Revolution’s go-to players for community measures both inside and outside of the ballpark over the last several years. The previous winners of the Community Outreach Player of the Year award are after the jump:
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