On Wednesday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs concluded the 2022 season against the Syracuse Mets. The IronPigs were looking to win the season series as they were 10-9 against Syracuse this year after last night’s game was rained out.
Several transactions took place yesterday. First, the Philadelphia Phillies optioned catcher Donny Sands to Lehigh Valley, and infielder Johan Camargo cleared waivers and returned to Lehigh Valley.
Brian Marconi (0-1, 4.26 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley, while Syracuse started Mychal Givens (7-3, 3.43 ERA). Marconi replaced Cristopher Sanchez, who was supposed to start this game.
IronPigs pitcher Brian Marconi walked Yolmer Sanchez with one out, followed by giving up a single to Francisco Alvarez. Then, Marconi got Carlos Rincon to fly out towards left fielder Dustin Peterson and struck out Gosuke Katoh, ending the inning. That was it for Marconi, who pitched an inning, allowing a hit, no runs, one walk, and one strikeout in 23 pitches, of which 14 were strikes.
At the top of the second inning, new Syracuse pitcher Alex Claudio walked IronPigs’ catcher Rafael Marchan with Jorge Bonifacio up to bat. During Bonifacio’s at-bat, Claudio’s pitch went off the glove of catcher Francisco Alvarez, moving Marchan to second base.
However, Bonifacio struck out while Marchan stole third base for Madison Strokes. Strokes grounded towards third baseman Yolmer Sanchez, scoring Marchan for a 1-0 lead with two outs. Will Toffey, who was up next, struck out swinging, ending the inning.
Sam Coonrod was the new IronPigs pitcher in the bottom of the second inning. Coonrod walked Khalil Lee with one out with Nick Meyer up to bat. During Meyer’s plate appearance, Lee stole second base, but Coonrod walked Meyer, putting runners on first and second with Branden Fryman up next.
Fryman grounded towards shortstop Scott Kingery, who made the throw to Darick Hall for the second out, but Lee scored for the Mets, tying the game 1-1. Lee got a great jump just as Fryman hit the ball and used his speed to score the run. Jake Mangum was next, and Coonrod got him to ground out towards second baseman Ali Castillo, ending the inning. Coonrod went an inning with no hits, one run, and two walks in 23 pitches, of which 12 were strikes.
At the top of the third inning, IronPigs’ second baseman Ali Castillo doubled to right field. It was his tenth double of the season. IronPigs’ shortstop Scott Kingery was next with one out. He doubled over the head of left field Khalil Lee, scoring Castillo to give the IronPigs a 2-1 lead. It was Kingery’s 14th double of the year. However, the IronPigs were unable to bring Kingery home when Darick Hall and Dustin Peterson struck out, ending the inning.
Taylor Scott was the new IronPigs pitcher in the bottom of the third inning. Scott walked Yolmer Sanchez and gave up a single to Francisco Alverez with nobody out. Two batters later, Scott walked Gosuke Katoh, loading the bases for JT Riddle. Riddle singled on a ground ball to right field, scoring two runs to give Syracuse a 3-2 lead.
After Scott hit Khalil Lee, which loaded the bases again, the IronPigs replaced Scott with Jonathan Hennigan. Hennigan came through, getting Nick Meyer to pop out towards first baseman Darick Hall, and then he struck out Branden Fryman, ending the inning.
At the top of the fourth inning, Syracuse pitcher Stephen Nogosek walked center fielder Madison Strokes with two out for Will Toffey. Toffey singled on a bunt towards third baseman Yolmer Sanchez, moving Strokes to second base for Daniel Robertson. However, Robertson popped out first baseman Gosuke Katoh, ending the inning.
Jace Fry was the new IronPigs pitcher at the top of the fifth inning. Fry gave up a single to Yolmer Sanchez and walked Francisco Alverez with one out for Carlos Rincon. Fry got Rincon to ground out towards shortstop Scott Kingery for the double play, ending the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, Scott Kingery walked with one out for Darick Hall. Hall singled on a ground ball towards pitcher Yoan Lopez, moving Kingery to second base. Unfortunately, Hall was too far off the first base bag and got caught for the second out, and Dustin Peterson struck out swinging, ending the inning.
Michael Kelly pitched for the IronPigs in the bottom of the fifth inning (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 17 pitches, 11 strikes), and Nick Duron pitched in the bottom of the sixth inning (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 15 pitches, ten strikes).
At the top of the seventh inning, IronPigs’ designated hitter Daniel Robertson tied the game 3-3 on a solo home run off the roof of the 315 Bullpen Bar at left field with one out. It was Robertson’s sixth home run of the season. Ali Castillo and Scott Kingery both grounded out, ending the inning.
James Marvel was the new IronPigs pitcher in the bottom of the seventh inning. He gave up a single to Gosuke Katoh with two outs before getting JT Riddle to ground towards shorts Scott Kingery for the forceout at second base, ending the inning. After that, Marvel pitched one more inning, going two innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks, and no strikeouts in 22 pitches, of which 15 were strikes.
At the top of the eighth inning, IronPigs’ left fielder Dustin Peterson singled to right field. Then, Syracuse pitcher Harol Gonzales walked Josh Ockimey and Jorge Bonifacio, loading the bases with one out for Madison Strokes.
Gonzales walked Strokes, forcing in a run as the IronPigs took a 4-3 lead. However, Lehigh Valley was unable to bring any more runs home when Will Toffey flew out towards center fielder Jake Mangum, and Daniel Robertson was called on strikes, ending the inning.
Moving ahead to the top of the ninth inning, IronPigs’ first baseman Darick Hall got one more opportunity with two outs to tie Rhys Hoskins’s home run record but struck out swinging, ending the inning. Hall finishes the season with 28 home runs, which is second in IronPigs history for the most home runs in a single season.
Matt Seelinger was the new IronPigs pitcher in the bottom of the ninth inning. First, he struck out Jake Mangum and Yolmer Sanchez. Then, the IronPigs intently walked Francisco Alverez before making a pitching change, going with second baseman Ali Castillo.
Castillo got Carlos Rincon to ground out towards shortstop Scott Kingery, who made the throw over to second baseman Will Toffey, ending the game. The IronPigs won the season finale 4-3 and won the season series 11-9.
The IronPigs had six hits in the game and finished in fifth place with a record of 76-72. The win went to IronPigs pitcher James Marvel. It was his sixth win of the season, while the loss went to Syracuse pitcher Harol Gonzalez. IronPigs’ second baseman Ali Castillo earned his first save of the season.
While this was not the result that the Lehigh Valley IronPigs had in mind when the season started, they gave us a ride that saw its ups and downs. Many of these players played for each other under the toughest of circumstances.
While we, as fans, appreciate their hard work. Let’s take a moment to thank everyone, including those who were released or traded during the season. They are Jeff Singer, Joe Gatto, Ricardo Sanchez, Austin Wynns, Drew Maggi, John Andreoli, Tyler Cyr, Romain Quinn, Mickey Moniak, Karl Ellison, Ronald Torreyes, and Edgar Cabral.
Finally, to those that got called up to the Phillies like Nick Maton, Matt Vierling, Bryson Stott, Dalton Guthrie, Bailey Falter, and Mark Appel. It’s incredible to watch these guys get to fulfill their dreams in the big leagues. We will be rooting for them.
