The Staten Island Yankees raised their third NY-Penn League championship banner before the start of their home opener at Richmond County Ball Park Wednesday night.
Two key players who helped lead that ball club to a franchise record 52 regular season wins to go with the title were first baseman Kyle Larsen and left fielder James Cooper.
Both are back to try successfully defending that championship. Each was instrumental during a six run eighth inning rally which lifted the Baby Bombers to an exciting 8-7 win over the Cyclones.
"It just shows that we have a lot of fight in us and we never give up and just got to continue to work hard and plug away," Cooper said after an infield RBI single followed up a Larsen runscoring single to kickstart the inning.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play. It was a 3-2 count and I got enough on the bat on the ball that it got over his [Smith] glove and ran a hard ninety. It just worked out for us."
The 22-year-old Los Angeles native also made some big plays in the field, including a sliding catch to end an inning and a running one which ended the game.
"I got some good jump on the ball and missed one that I really wanted to catch but you can't catch all of them," the left fielder pointed out after showing no ill effects of a recent injury which stalled his Spring Training.
"My leg feels fine. I put in a lot of rehab time. I've been through it before with the other knee. It feels fine. Obviously you're not going to be 100 percent once you go into the ninth but I feel close to it. My legs feel real good."
With just seven players left from last year's championship team, Cooper relishes taking on a leadership role.
"I always like to be a leader. I don't have a problem with guys looking up to me. I like to help everybody else as much as I can and just try to guide them in the right direction and show them things that they might not know that I might know having been here for one year. I'm constantly learning from them as well."
He also understands what it will take for the team to have success.
"It's about working together and communicating and being on the same page for the whole season. That's how you're going to win."
Like Cooper, Larsen also returns to the starting lineup for a second straight year. One of Staten Island's biggest offensive contributors last year, the 22-year-old Washington native is off to a great start. In both wins over Brooklyn, he has gone deep and driven in eight runs including three more last night.
"It definitely was nice to come out...you can't expect to come out and hit three home runs right out of the gate in two games but I'm just looking to hit the ball hard," Larsen pointed out.
He also doesn't seem to mind his new role.
"Yeah, definitely. Just being a returner, you kind of got to show them the ropes," the designated hitter mentioned of his new teammates.
"Early in minicamp, guys were asking about Staten Island and stuff."
With his team trailing by five runs with the bases loaded and nobody out in the eighth, it was the DH's bloop single to right which helped bring the Baby Bombers back.
"I just reached out and got it. Luckily, it didn't go to anybody. You know. That's baseball."
"We knew if that we get down early, there's always a chance to win. Thankfully tonight we overcame ourselves a little bit to put together that big eighth."
Larsen was very pleased to take part in a special pregame ceremony which paid tribute to the 2005 Baby Bombers.
"It was nice," said the first baseman who triumphantly carried out the trophy to loud cheers when he was introduced during the ceremony.
"It was sweet to be back for that. There's a lot of guys who didn't get the opportunity to come back. To be a part of that was really nice. Raise a banner and come out and get the rings."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment