Welcome back to another edition of the Delco Baseball Now newsletter, where every game from here on out in the Delco Baseball world is officially either a playoff or a tournament with the Delco League playoffs beginning tonight.
The Delco League regular season can look a bit rough at times. It’s a 28 game season and it can be a struggle to get players at times for weekend games and whatnot.
To put it this way: I started a game this summer for Wayne (had 2 RBI no big deal) in a day where we only had ten players available.
The playoffs are a whole different animal, as players need only seven appearances to be playoff eligible. I personally think that number should be a bit higher to reward the players who stuck it out all season, but that’s a conversation for another day.
We’ll get into all of that along with some legion updates, Mid-County league semifinals, Babe Ruth, Beep Baseball, and one of the most bizarre endings to a Phillies game you will ever see.
As always, we appreciate anyone who takes the time to support us by subscribing (for free) to get this newsletter delivered daily.
Delco League:
The Delco League playoffs begin tonight, and I am fired up.
Ever since my 2021 Upper Darby Blue Sox won the first title in franchise history, I have loved every second of the Delco League playoffs. It’s the only league where you can see at the time 49 year old Johnny Gonzalez and 17 year old Sammy Burman competing for the same Finals MVP trophy.
If you have not yet, check out our newest podcast where we have FOUR interviews from players/coaches on the four first round teams.
We have Aston Valley OF Vinny Proietto, Springfield Head Coach Steve Trainor, Drexel Hill Head Coach Sean Mohollen, and Chester C Ben Ettien all in a row.
Upper Darby’s late season surge stole them the #1 seed from Wayne, so they will await whoever the lowest seed remaining is in the semifinals. The playoffs do reseed, so if Springfield wins they will play Wayne and if Aston Valley wins they will play Upper Darby.
The championship series will be broadcasted on the Delco Baseball Now YouTube channel.
Babe Ruth 13U:
Broomall-Newtown begins their quest for a seventh World Series trip as they take part in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament.
They absolutely ran through the PA State Tournament, winning 14-0, 14-0, 15-0, and 8-2, so it surely looks like they have a good shot to get there again.
The tournament has five teams in it. Three teams advance to the knockout stage with the one seed getting a bye into the championship, so getting that top seed should be a priority.
Note: Ridley qualified for this regional but elected not to go. I am not sure why, but Mifflin County accepted the bid to be the second PA rep.
Mid-County:
While Aston Valley and Media had to be suspended due to darkness in Game 1 of a three game series, the Clifton Outlaws and Top Lumber Expos did not even start until 8:00 PM as they played under the lights at Dermond.
Upper Darby High School Head Coach Kenny Kissinger showed his players how it’s done as he ripped a homer and a double to lead the offense. Clifton will look to close the series out on Wednesday night at O’Hara.
We believe that Media and Aston Valley will look to end their Game 1 tonight at Penncrest before starting Game 2.
Senior Legion:
I am definitely glad to see that legion is having a bit of a resurgence, because a lot of really good players took the field for Narberth and Upper Darby in this regional, as well as Broomall-Newtown, Ridley, and Springfield in the Main Line.
Travel ball will always take priority for uncommitted guys which is understandable, but legion certainly has a place here.
Prep Legion:
While the Narberth Senior Legion team may be out, the Prep Legion team is still battling in the State Tournament.
It is a bit of an odd tournament format, but the gist of it is that Narberth will have to win three more games to be state champions. Against who is still TBD.
I do not believe that at this level there is anything past states.
Beep Baseball:
If you haven’t ever seen Beep Baseball before, you will be stunned to find out what it is.
Beep Baseball helps visually impaired athletes do what they love. All athletes wear blindfolds and the pitchers are coaches from their own team. They have a verbal cue to tell their hitters when the ball is coming and it is their job to put it right in their swing path.
The ball beeps, so the defense can hear it and they try to find the ball and secure it before the hitter runs and tackles a beeping tackling dummy down the first or third base line. You kind of have to watch it to understand.
I went out to an event in 2022 and it blew my mind. I was still recovering from an injury so I wasn’t able to run to the bases, but I did get to swing. It took about 10-15 swings before I even made contact.
The Philadelphia Fire usually play at Norwood Park, but they are in St. Louis this week to try and defend their World Series title.
Check out this video for some context and make sure to subscribe to follow along with their games this week:
MLB:
A walk-off… catcher’s interference?
What an odd way to end the game, especially considering the Phillies had to challenge the call because Edmundo Sosa was adamant that catcher’s interference should be called, and he was right.
According to baseball reference, that has only ever happened one time, when the Dodgers beat the Reds in 1971 with Johnny Bench behind the plate.
The Phillies probably would have won anyway with the bases loaded and nobody out, but this team does struggle with runners in scoring position so you never know.
The Phillies will look to win the series on Tuesday night when Cristopher Sanchez faces Richard Fitts.