(July 13, 2021 – Lancaster, Pa.): Ten days after notching the biggest comeback victory in franchise history, the York Revolution used the biggest ninth inning in club history to pull off their biggest ninth inning comeback victory of all-time in a stunning 13-12 triumph over the Lancaster Barnstormers on Tuesday night at Clipper Magazine Stadium. Down seven runs entering the final inning, it was an eight-run rally that lifted the Revs to their first three-game winning streak of the season.
York scored five runs through their first three innings at the plate, building an early 5-1 lead in Tuesday’s series opener. Melky Mesa hit a two-out, solo home run to right for the first run of the game and an inning later, Andrew Dundon crushed a three-run homer to deep right center for a 4-0 advantage.
Lancaster’s bats began to click in the second as Trayvon Robinson worked a leadoff walk and scored on a double to left from Alejandro De Aza to cut the lead to 4-1.
In the third with the bases loaded, Jack Kenley collected his 16th RBI in his last 13 games with a sac fly to center, re-upping the lead to four runs.
The Barnstormers took the lead in the third with five runs on just two hits. Each of the first six batters reached with Blake Gailen delivering the first run-scoring play on a line drive single to right. With the bases loaded, Robinson was hit by a pitch from Revs starter Jake Welch for the second run. De Aza had the big hit with a two-run, game-tying double to right and Anderson De La Rosa’s RBI groundout capped off the frame for a 6-5 Lancaster lead.
In the fifth, Lancaster blew it open, 12-5, with a six-run inning. Robinson drove in his second of the night with his second triple of the season on a shot to left-center. For his fourth RBI, De Aza plated Robinson on a single to center field. Nick Shumpert contributed an RBI base hit to left, Caleb Gindl singled to right for another run, and Melvin Mercedes drove in the final two on his own base hit to left.
Seemingly of little consequence at the time, York relievers came up big in keeping the deficit at seven runs as Eduardo Rivera left the bases loaded in a scoreless sixth, and Bruce Bell retired the final three batters in the seventh after being greeted with three consecutive singles, putting up another scoreless frame. Bubby Rossman (1-2) followed with a perfect eighth, eventually earning the win.
York scored a franchise-record eight ninth-inning runs for the improbable 13-12 lead. Carlos Castro smashed a double to the left field corner for the first two runs. A walk to pinch-hitter Lenin Rodriguez and a base hit from Kenley loaded the bases for Josue Herrera. Lancaster reliever Daniel Taggart hit Herrera with a pitch to bring home Castro, pulling York within 12-8 and putting the tying run at the plate. JC Encarnacion reached on an error that allowed Rodriguez and Kenley to head home, drawing York within 12-10 with the tying two runs in scoring position.
With their once-huge lead suddenly in peril, Lancaster called on closer Scott Shuman. The right hander retired James Harris on a strikeout. Darian Sandford stepped in and got the better of his former teammate with a bloop single to left to score Herrera, but Encarnacion was thrown out at the plate attempting to tie the game.
With the Revs down to their final out, Yan Sanchez walked and the stage was set for Mesa who hammered a two-run double to deep center, giving York the stunning one-run lead.
Jim Fuller allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but buckled down to strike out pinch-hitter LeDarious Clark and De La Rosa to finish off the historic victory with his league-leading 11th save.
The series continues Wednesday with left hander Johan Lopez (0-0) making his third start of the year for York. Lancaster will counter with righty Francisco Mendoza (0-0). Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and the WOYK YouTube channel beginning at 6:10 p.m. with Darrell Henry and Ray Jensen on the call.
Notes: The seven-run comeback would have tied the previous overall record prior to the Revs pulling off a new record 10-run comeback at home against the Barnstormers 10 days earlier. York had previously scored seven runs in a ninth inning three times, all on the road in 2016 with the most recent occurring at Clipper Magazine Stadium. The previous record for the Revs’ largest comeback in the ninth inning was down six runs vs. Sugar Land on August 26, 2019. The previous record for largest road ninth inning comeback was down five runs at Bridgeport on May 31, 2016. The eight-run inning ties the Revs’ largest of the season overall (June 3 at Gastonia). York improves to 5-6 on the season vs. Lancaster; it is the fourth time where both teams have scored in double figures in the same game this season. The three-game winning streak is the Revs’ first since August 30-Sept. 1, 2019. York pulls within 3.5 games of first place in the Atlantic League North. The four-hour, 33-minute contest is the longest nine-inning game in Revs history and comes six days after York set its previous record at 4:19 (which was four minutes longer than a club record that had stood since 2010 prior to last week).
