Author Archives: Marc DesRoches

After a one night hiatus the YBL returns to Adams Field in Quincy at 7:30 tonight for Game 2 of the YBL Championship Series.  Somerville Alibrandis is off to a 1-0 series lead as the Al Thomas Club looks to even things up.  We won’t go into too much detail about two of the deepest and most powerful offenses that this League has ever seen, so let’s go right to the guys getting the ball.

The visitors will go with YBL Veteran Chris Foundas in this one.  Foundy went 4-1 with a sub-3.00 ERA this regular season and is coming off a CG win in his only 2016 postseason start.  His strikeouts are down and his base runners allowed are up, but he has been in big games before.

The home team will counter with Pat Bresnehan after a 6-0 regular season in the YBL, while already 1-0 in the playoffs.  2016 marked Bresnehan’s return to the YBL after a stellar college career at Arizona State University and a professional career that spanned 2006-2012 with both Independent ball and Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  Expect ATBC to have a fully rested arsenal in the bullpen after a night off as well.

Best of luck to both teams!!!  O/U 11.0.

*Photos courtesy of Craig Henry ([email protected]).  For more from Game 1…

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hq2xgo7qd4ol0sj/AAD-xF0QcmznbLTzavAtXisxa?dl=0

As has been very common this post-season, home field advantage has been quickly stripped from the higher seed.  I’m sure this doesn’t matter to teams like ATBC and Alibrandis as they are equipped to pitch, hit and play defense anywhere, anytime.  Game 1 saw the #1 Al Thomas Athletics get out to a 1-0 lead in the 3rd which only started a night of two heavyweights standing in the middle of the ring going toe to toe trading punches.  Alibrandis tied it in the 4th and ATBC would quickly take the lead once again.

Alibrandis would score late runs in bunches which has been the rule lately, putting up 5 in the 5th.  RBI doubles by Teddy Dziuba and Will Brennan would be the key run scoring hits while Bobby Barrett would continue his torrid pace chipping in with 3 more hits.  The story on the mound for the Red Army was the Red Ace, Sean Sullivan.  He limited the vaunted ATBC offense to 4 hits and 2 runs, one earned.  He kept his defense busy all night and they made the plays.  He moves his career post-season record to 13-0.

ATBC played a nice mix and match game with their multi-faceted bullpen, including the return of playoff stud Willie Archibald, who threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout.  Their RBI were knocked in by 2016 YBL MVP favorite Freddi Carrera and Mike Hicks.

Alibrandis takes Game 1 by a final of 7-2.  Game 2 is at Adams Field in Quincy at 7:30pm on Wednesday 8/24.

The 2016 Yawkey League Golf Tournament is upon us!!!

July 22, 2016

William Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park

8:00am shotgun start, modified scramble followed by an award luncheon and raffle.

Registration begins at 7:15am, but you can sign up now.

Here is a link for further information…
http://tinyurl.com/zxsty34

It looks like all Yawkey League teams are hitting mid-season form as we head towards the halfway point of the 2016 Yawkey League Season.  This week has seen epic pitcher’s duels, webgems and bombs!!!  Here’s a little something that we all know and love taking you into the YBL Fourth of July weekend break…

“Ray. People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. “Of course, we won’t mind if you look around”, you’ll say, “It’s only $20 per person”. They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they’ll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game and it’ll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again. Oh…people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”

A reminder that the 2016 EMass Classic will take place at Morelli Field (Melrose HS) this Saturday, July 9th.  The Yawkey Stars will take on the Cranberry Stars in the semi-final at 4pm.  

The YBL Board of Directors would like to forgo the weekly player profile this week so that we can honor one of the greatest sponsors the Yawkey League has ever seen, the late Mr. Al Thomas.  Mr. Thomas has meant so much to the Al Thomas Athletics and the Yawkey League for so many years that a ceremony will be held in his honor this Sunday, June 26th at Cunningham Field in Milton, MA.

As a tribute to Mr. Thomas and all that he has meant to the franchise and league two benches will be dedicated in his memory.  The ceremony will begin at 1:20pm followed by a Yawkey League game between the newest franchise, the Charlestown Townies and Al’s beloved and undefeated Athletics.

All families and friends of the YBL are invited to take part in this special dedication.

2016 YBL Opening Week begins tonight, May 10th, at Maplewood Park in Malden as the always feisty Malden Maddogs host the newly revamped Savin Hill Dodgers.  Tonight’s probable pitchers are YBL veterans Kendall Chaves for Malden and Eddie Samp for Savin Hill.

The Al Thomas Athletics will host Thursday, the defending Yaz Division Champs, East Boston Knights and 6-time defending YBL Champions are slated to host on Friday night with more games slated over the weekend.

Please check back for full schedule updates as soon as Secretary Treska has everything finalized. If anyone is located near his office in Bedford, please don’t hesitate to drop off some coffee.