Frank Gailey continued his dominance on the mound Tuesday night, firing six shutout innings to earn his league-leading 14th win of the season as the York Revolution defeated the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs 6-1 at PeoplesBank Park, lowering their magic number to four with five games to play.
The Revs jumped in front in the first inning as Jared Mitchell blasted his 14th home run of the season off of the tents in right field to give the Revs a 1-0 lead.
An inning later, York widened the margin. Travis Witherspoon singled to center with one away, and Ryan Dent followed with a double to the right center gap, scoring Witherspoon to make it 2-0. Two batters later, Alonzo Harris took Blue Crabs starter Daryl Thompson deep to left center to increase the lead to 4-0. It was Harris’ team-leading 22nd long ball of the season, tying him for fourth most in the Atlantic League.
Gailey (14-9) was locked in from the onset, meanwhile, retiring the first 13 batters he faced.
Southern Maryland broke up the perfect game in controversial fashion in the fifth. Devon Rodriguez bounced a ball weakly to the right side as Telvin Nash fielded and flipped to Gailey covering, but it was ruled that Gailey did not hold the base.
Gailey allowed just one other hit in the game, a leadoff single by Luis Alen in the sixth. He struck out seven, tying a season-high, and did not walk a batter. It was his fifth consecutive victory, tying teammate Jay Gause and Lancaster’s Brad Bergesen for the league’s longest win streak this season. The win was Gailey’s 25th of his York career, third most for a Rev all-time.
The Revs added to their lead in the sixth inning as Rubi Silva led off the frame with a double to left center, and Luis Cruz followed with a shot off the top of the Arch Nemesis to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Blue Crabs broke up the shutout in the seventh, as Michael Snyder took reliever Michael Click deep to right center for his league-leading 25th home run, making it 5-1.
York got the run right back as Chase Simpson led off the home seventh with a home run to right field, his fourth of the season and second in three games, to put the Revs up 6-1.
Brad Allen and Chase Huchingson tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth respectively, as the Revs won their fourth straight as a team.
The Revs and Blue Crabs will play game two of their three-game series Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. when Jake Ezell (0-1, 4.63) makes his first Revs start, opposed by Drew Hayes (8-8, 4.03). It’s a PeoplesBank Kids Eat Free Wednesday. PeoplesBank Park will also host Yoga in the Outfield by Evolution Power Yoga - find your inner balance and peace at the best venue in York. For tickets visit yorkrevolution.com, the Apple Chevrolet Ticket Office, or call 717-801-HITS.
Darrell Henry and Matt Present will be on the air at 6:10 p.m. on WOYK 1350 as well as online at woyk1350.com, the WOYK YouTube Channel, and the WOYK App.
Notes: Harris’ total of 22 home runs ties Nate Espy (2007) for sixth most in a season in team history, and is the most by a Revs hitter since Chad Tracy’s total of 23 in 2014. Gailey’s five-game winning streak is tied for the fourth longest by a pitcher in Revs history and tied for third longest by a starter. His league-leading 14 victories are now three more than any other pitcher and it ties the second-highest win total by a pitcher in a single season in Revs history (Corey Thurman, 2012). He is now one win shy of matching Chris Cody’s single-season franchise record of 15 set in 2013. The Revs’ four-game winning streak is one shy of tying a season-high, and is the club’s third winning streak of four games or longer since the beginning of August. Mitchell’s home run was his 11th in his last 55 games played.
