RUMBLE PONIES GAME NOTES: Game #4 - Rumble Ponies (2-1) at Fisher Cats (1-2) - 1:35 PM

BINGHAMTON RUMBLE PONIES (2-1), 2nd Eastern Division, 1.0 GB (New York Mets)		New Hampshire Fisher Cats (1-2), 4th Eastern Division, 2.0 GB (Toronto Blue Jays)
	Sunday, April 7, 2019 • 1:35 PM Northeast Delta Dental Stadium • Manchester, NH RHP Mike Gibbons (0-0, ---) vs. RHP Yennsy Diaz (0-0, ---) Broadcast: NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF, MiLB.TV

PREVIEW: The Rumble Ponies conclude their season-opening, four-game series against the Fisher Cats with a matinee. A victory on Sunday afternoon would give Binghamton a series win to start the season for the third straight year.

BINGHAMTON STARTER: RHP Mike Gibbons prepares for his first start of the season. The righty from Connecticut has made three career appearances, all spot-starts, for Binghamton sprinkled over two seasons.

DOUBLE-DIGIT K’S: One night after racking up 14 strikeouts, the Rumble Ponies pitching staff collected 15 on Saturday. The 29 strikeouts are the most combined in back-to-back games for Binghamton since at least 2006. The Rumble Ponies have compiled a 10.8 K/9 IP in the first three games of the season.

GOING TO ELEVEN+: After playing 11 innings on Friday, the Rumble Ponies needed 12 innings to earn the win on Saturday. It’s the first time they have played in back-to-back games of 11 innings or longer since 2016, when they followed a 12-inning game against Trenton on June 9 with a 13-inning affair against Hartford on June 10.

HEAVY WORKLOAD: The Ponies bullpen has racked up 17.2 innings pitched in the first three games of the season. Spread out over the 12 total appearances, Ponies relievers have been asked to register av average of five outs per appearance.

WORKING DOUBLE TIME: In the last two extra-inning games, four Ponies relievers have thrown two innings or more. Joe Zanghi led the charge on Saturday with a 2.1-inning effort. Of Binghamton’s 12 relief appearances, eight have been for four outs or more.

AT THE HELM: Kevin Boles spent the last five years managing the Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA), a tenure that included a Governor’s Cup championship in 2014. Boles managed in the Eastern League with the Portland Sea Dogs from 2011 through 2013.

WELCOME TO THE METS: Excluding players starting the season on the Injured List, nine players on their Rumble Ponies Opening Day are playing in their first season in the Mets organization.

MAJOR LEAGUE TIME: Three Rumble Ponies bring Major League experience to the clubhouse. Arismendy Alcantara has played 167 MLB games over four seasons with the Cubs (‘14-’15), A’s (‘16) and Reds (‘17). In 2018, Kevin Kaczmarski logged four games with the Mets and Braxton Lee appeared in eight games with the Marlins.

COMING UP NEXT: The Ponies continue their first road trip of the season and head to Portland for a three-game series versus the Sea Dogs starting on Monday night. Manager Kevin Boles returns to Maine for the first time since managing Portland from 2011 through 2013. RHP Harol Gonzalez is set for his season debut in the opener.