Minor League Recap - Final Day for AAA, AA

Francisco Álvarez drives in career-high five runs as Syracuse rallies back and beats Buffalo, 9-8, in Sunday matinee

The Syracuse Mets just would not be denied on Sunday afternoon, rallying back from an 8-4 deficit to score the game’s final five runs and take down the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A affiliate, Toronto Blue Jays) by a 9-8 final on a sunny and warm Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. The Mets won the final three games in the series, earning a split in the six-game series. Francisco Álvarez had a career-high five RBIs in the game.

Buffalo (72-67) brought the thunder early in the game, scoring eight times in the first four innings. First, the Bisons scored three times in the first, powered by an RBI double from Rafael Lantigua and a two-run homer from Davis Schneider to give the road team a 3-0 edge.

Syracuse (59-82) responded in a big way in the bottom of the first, After Travis Jankowski and Jake Mangum singled to start the inning, Álvarez launched a game-tying, three-run home run for his eighth Triple-A home run and his second home run of the week, knotting the game up, 3-3.

In the second, the Bisons used extra-base power again for run number four when Stevie Berman launched a solo shot, regaining a lead for Buffalo, 4-3. Berman finished the game with two walks in addition to his solo home run.

The Bisons scored another pair of runs in the top of the third. Schneider doubled and scored on a Yoshi Tsutsugo home run as Buffalo took a 6-3 lead.

The Mets once again trimmed the deficit, this time in the bottom of the third. Álvarez drove in yet another run, an RBI single that plated Jankowski, who had doubled earlier in the inning to make it a 6-4 ballgame. Álvarez, the 20-year-old catcher widely considered the top prospect in Minor League Baseball, would finish the game 2-for-4 with five runs driven in.

Ponies Doubled Up by Yard Goats in Season Finale on Sunday Afternoon

After jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead after two innings, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies dropped the final game of the regular season 8-4 to the Hartford Yard Goats (34-34, 77-60) on Sunday afternoon at Mirabito Stadium.

Luke Ritter’s RBI double scoring Ronny Mauricio in the first got the Ponies on the board. Binghamton (25-42, 53-83) then followed up with three runs in the second as Brandon McIlwain’s single and Hayden Senger’s hit-by-pitch set the table for Nic Gaddis. Gaddis ripped a two-run double plating McIlwain and Senger for a 3-0 lead. The inning was capped off by a long Carlos Cortes sacrifice fly.

Hartford then scored six runs over the third, fourth and fifth as the third featured two sacrifice flies and a wild pitch which brought home three runs. Aaron Schunk’s home run tied the game at four in the fourth. Hartford then took a 6-4 lead in the fifth on solo home runs from Daniel Montano and Brenton Doyle off Jordan Geber (0-1). Montano and Doyle had home runs in back-to-back contests.

Noah Gotsis (5-8) earned the win for Hartford pitching two and a third scoreless and hitless innings with one walk and three strikeouts. The Hartford bullpen surrendered just one hit over the final seven innings.

This marks the completion of the 30th season in franchise history as the New York Mets Double-A affiliate.

Brooklyn season ended last week.

Mets shock Blue Jays, steal game 1 of FSL finals on the road

The St. Lucie Mets stunned the Dunedin Blue Jays with a 6-5 comeback win in game 1 of the Florida State League Championship Series on Sunday night at TD Ballpark.

With the Mets trailing 5-4 and down to their last out of the ninth, Carlos Dominguez launched a go-ahead two-run home run to center field off Blue Jays reliever Trey Cumbie to put the Mets up 6-5.

Dominguez had been 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and a double play ball going into his final at-bat. He finished the regular season as the FSL home run leader with 20 but had not homered since August 18th in Lakeland.

Mets reliever Raimon Gomez (1-0) entered the game with one out in the sixth inning. He retired all 11 batters he faced to end the game.

The Mets now head home to Clover Park where they can win their first FSL championship since 2006. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Tuesday at 6:10 p.m. The Blue Jays will be looking to extend the series to a decisive game 3 on Wednesday.

The Mets got off to a fast start on Sunday when Raul Beracierta hit a two-out, two-run single in the first inning for a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Jays tied the game in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs against Mets starter Layonel Ovalles. Ovalles walked in a run with the bases loaded then Estiven Machado hit run-scoring ground out to make it 2-2.

Tanner Murphy hit a two-out RBI single in the third inning to put the Mets up 3-2.

Cade Doughty hit two-run homer off Ovalles in the bottom of the third to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead.

Dunedin extended its lead to 5-3 on a RBI single by Josh Kasevich in the fourth inning.

Brad Malm led off the seventh inning with a triple. He was brought home by Kevin Parada’s RBI infield single to cut the deficit to 5-4.

The three Mets pitchers – Ovalles, Felipe De La Cruz and Gomez – limited the Blue Jays to 1 or 7 with runners in scoring position. Mets pitchers have now held batters to 3 for 30 with runners in scoring position in three playoff games.