With the regular season coming to a close for the Long Island Ducks, we look back at what has been an entertaining and eventful season. We’ve seen former major league players like Ruben Tejada of the Mets take the field. We’ve seen players like Daniel Murphy, Brett Kennedy, and Adeiny Hechavarria make their way back to the majors after starting off with the Ducks. We’ve even seen pitcher Robert Stock throw the second no-hitter in franchise history.
What’s a better finish to this season than a 13-2 victory heading into playoffs? On Sunday, September 17, the Ducks concluded their season with this blowout victory at home against the High Point Rockers.
The Ducks got the scoring started with a bases loaded walk by infielder Sam Travis and an RBI groundout from catcher Hector Sanchez. The aforementioned Tejada made it 3-0 off an RBI single in the second inning. Travis continued the scoring in the third with a solo home run followed by a Boog Powell 2-RBI single.
Starting pitcher Augie Voight allowed a two-run home run in the fourth, but that didn’t matter as a five-run sixth inning made it 11-2, including a Tejada solo homer, Jonathan Guzman RBI single, and a Joe DeCarlo home run that brought in 3 more runs. They finished up their scoring in the 7th with a Sanchez RBI single and a DeCarlo sacrifice fly. Voight’s 6 innings were good enough to earn his first win of the year.
It was a team effort against the Rockers on Sunday as every Duck that played reached base safely, along with 10 players earning a hit. Tejada and Powell each had 3 hits and 2 RBIs leading the way for the victory.
The Ducks will begin the 2023 Atlantic League playoffs this week with their 5-game matchup against the Lancaster Barnstormers in the North Division Championship Series. Robert Stock will take the mound in game 1 hoping to build upon the impressive season he has put on.
Game 3 of the series will take place on Friday at their home field of Fairfield Properties Ballpark. The gates will open at 5:20 for season ticket holders, and 5:35 for the rest of the fans. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a “Summer Days and Double Plays” T-shirt, thanks to Discover Long Island. All Ducks home playoff games are available by visiting the Fairfield Properties Ballpark box office, or calling (631) 940-TIXX. Go Ducks!
Ducks Name 2023 Delmonte-Smelson Team MVP and P.C. Richard and Son Whistle Player of the Year Winner.
Prior to this impressive win the Ducks named their MVP for this season. Outfielder Alex Dickerson earned the honors presented by Delmonte-Smelson Jewelers.
Dickerson is thirty-three years old and has spent some time in the majors throughout his career. He played for the San Diego Padres, the San Francisco Giants, and the Atlanta Braves in his 6 years in the MLB, with his most notable performances playing for the Giants.
In his first year with the Ducks he proved to be the best player on the field winning the Team MVP. He earned the most fan votes giving him the edge.
Not only was he a top LI Duck player, but he was one of the best in the Atlantic League as a whole in 2023. He finished with a .314 batting average, a .576 slugging percentage, and a .965 OPS. He also recorded 26 home runs, 91 RBIs, and 231 total bases. He ranked in the ALPB’s Top 10 in each of these stats. With the exception of RBIs he was the team leader in each of these categories as well, finishing only one behind Sam Travis’ 92 RBIs.
Dickerson received a luxurious wristwatch from the sponsoring Delmonte-Smelson Jewelers signifying his impact this season.
He wasn’t the only winner announced for the Ducks as they also named Boog Powell as the winner of the P.C. Richard and Son Whistle Player of the Year competition.
Powell was another first-year Duck and he won this competition by scoring the most runs in games in which he was designated the Whistle Player of the Game. He finished his season with a .285 average and a .788 OPS, while collecting 6 homers, 35 RBIs, 50 runs, 68 hits, 12 doubles, 34 walks, and 18 stolen bases. Winning this competition earned him a $500 gift card from P.C. Richard and Son.
The Long Island Ducks are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a Professional Partner League of Major League Baseball. Over 8.5 million fans have enjoyed the Ducks brand of affordable, fun entertainment at Fairfield Properties Ballpark since inception in 2000. For further information, visit LIDucks.com or call 631-940-DUCK (3825).