2017 Year In Review: Second-Half
Let's look back at the 2017 season with the second in our Year In Review series.---
Let's look back at the 2017 season with the second in our Year In Review series.
---
Editor's Note - We will be publishing a series of "Year in Review" stories that look at each half, position groups, and some of the best moments and promotions from the 2017 season. This is the second in this series.
Previously - First Half In Review
Another no-hitter and several record-breaking efforts highlighted the second half of the season for the BlueClaws.
The second half, however, did not pick up where the first half left off. After the BlueClaws won the final six games of the first half to just miss the post-season, Lakewood went to Delmarva to open the second half and were promptly swept in a four-game series.
On June 26th,
Suarez's fellow left-hander, 20-year old
The BlueClaws made a series of roster moves on July 4th that would impact the team for the rest of the season. Outfielders
On July 9th, Nick Fanti threw seven scoreless innings to earn his sixth win of the season. While it was a great outing, one of many for the young left-hander, it would pale in comparison to his next start. The BlueClaws had lost a very tough game on July 16th, where
Fanti then went out, after Lakewood had won dropped two straight, and managed to top his May 6th game in Columbia with a brilliant performance in a no-hitter against the RiverDogs. He retired the first four hitters he faced, then walked one, and set aside the next 23 to complete the sixth no-hitter in team history. Further, it was the first time that a BlueClaws pitcher had thrown a nine-inning no-hitter in a win - Gavin Floyd threw a nine-inning no-hitter against Lexington in 2002 but made an error that led to a 1-0 loss. In this case,
The BlueClaws had their quickest game - Fanti's no-hitter took 1 hour and 47 minutes - immediately followed by their longest bus ride - a 15 hour trip to Rome, Georgia to take on the Braves. There, Lakewood had to play a double-header to make up a game that had been rained out in New Jersey the week before. After dropping the first game on July 20th, they sent
After adding to the roster on July 4th, the BlueClaws did so again as they made their way to Greensboro for a three-game series starting August 31st. Over the three days there, they would add their first two position players out of the 2017 draft in catcher
The BlueClaws came home on August 3rd five games back and needed a big weekend. They delivered, taking three of four from Hagerstown including two walk-off wins.
Unfortunately, after cutting the deficit to four games, that would be as close as the BlueClaws would get to the top of the standings. A 2-5 road trip to West Virginia and Delmarva dropped them to eight games back, but there were still a few more big moments over the final few weeks of the season.
The biggest came in a 14-4 win at Hagerstown on August 23rd in which
Hall would later be named South Atlantic League MVP and the first baseman on the post-season All-Star team. He was the first BlueClaw to win league MVP.
Joining Hall on the league's All-Star team was reliever Will Hibbs, who returned to the BlueClaws in July after a few weeks in Clearwater and led the league with 20 saves, becoming just the second BlueClaw to reach the 20 save plateau.
BlueClaws fans also got to see two first-round picks on the field at the same time, with 2017 first-rounder
Lakewood also sent several pitchers up to Clearwater, and got quality starts at the end of the season from
While the BlueClaws were not in playoff contention, they did finish the season on a four-game winning streak, taking one from West Virginia and three from Kannapolis. The BlueClaws also managed to do one thing that almost never happens - ending the season on a walk-off home run. Austin Listi went deep in the bottom of the 12th inning on Labor Day to give the BlueClaws a season-ending win.
The final second-half record of 33-36 might not have been exactly what the BlueClaws wanted, but they certainly ended the season in style.
- BlueClaws -