For decades, the Syracuse Chiefs have been relegated to the cellar of the International League North Division. Not anymore. A serendipitous convergence of circumstances — timely hitting paired with pitching that refuses to give up walks — have landed the hometown nine in first place.
Syracuse fans haven’t cheered so hard in decades. It has been that long since they had any reason for such glee.
Last week, Chiefs second baseman Zach Walters hit home runs on four consecutive days. Outfielder Steven Souza Jr. leads the league in batting. Right-handed starter Taylor Hill boats and earned-run average below 2, and fellow hurlers Ryan Tatusko, Aaron Laffey and Ryan Mattheus continue to challenge opposing batsmen every time they take the hill.
New Chiefs’ General Manager Jason Smorol, who lives in Liverpool, has to be happy now that warmer weather and a winning ball club are beginning to draw crowds at NBT Bank Stadium.
But something happened last week at the old ballpark and the unusual action centered not on a Syracuse player, but on one of their worthy opponents from Norfolk.
Rounding the bases
OK, here’s what happened Thursday night, June 12, as the Chiefs’ victory drew to a close:
The Norfolk Tides, top farm club of the Baltimore Orioles, have a 29-year-old right fielder named Quintin Berry. He’s from San Diego and played for San Diego State. Six-feet-tall and 175 lbs., Berry has bounced around the minors for nine seasons, and enjoyed a couple brief cups of coffee in the major leagues.
Anyhow, on Thursday night in Syracuse, Quintin Berry, a left-handed batter, came up to the plate in the top of the third with the Chiefs leading 4-1 and one out. He bunted apparently foul but was called out on batter interference. Either he stepped outside the batter’s box to meet the ball and/or somehow interfered with Chiefs’ catcher Jonathan Solano.
It looked like a routine bunt foul to me, but the home-plate ump immediately called Quintin out, and Quintin became noticeably upset with the call. His manager, Ron Johnson, came out to continue the argument and to lead Berry back to the dugout.
OK. The Chiefs held their lead throughout, although it remained a close game.
Quintin Berry walked in the fifth, flew out to center in the eighth, then, in the top of the ninth with two out and Norfolk trailing 5-3, he singled sharply to left.
That’s when things got interesting.
Standing safely at first, Berry put up a fuss with the first base umpire which brought out the home plate ump who was likely Quintin’s real target anyway.
The beleaguered ballplayer grumped and groused — I can only imagine it was about that interference call in the third — boldly enough to get himself thrown out of the game.
That’s when things really got interesting.
In a move that would’ve made Jimmy Piersall proud, our boy Quintin took off running past passive Chiefs infielders, touching second on his way to third and sprinting all the way home, climaxing his spontaneous race around the bags with a picture-perfect slide.
It was an ejection Chiefs’ fans will never forget!
Protein for players
On Tuesday, June 10, on the night before a rare day off, three Chiefs players — utility infielder Will Rhymes, slugger Brock Peterson and reliever Dan Stange — stopped by for dinner at The Retreat, here in Liverpool. Peterson so relished his meal here that he returned the following evening for a salad and salmon.
Class of ’74 reunites
More than 500 classmates from the Liverpool High School class of ’74 were contacted and nearly 200 plan to attend the reunion activities here this coming weekend.
On Friday, June 20, Joe Pirro (who helped plan the events) will be playing music with fellow classmate Ed Sheridan from 8 to 11 p.m. at the White Water Pub, 110 S. Willow St..
On Sunday, June 22, the duo will host an open jam playing at the reunion picnic from noon to 4 p.m., at the Sawmill Pavilion at Willow Bay on Onondaga Lake.
I wonder if Joe and Ed will play the top song of 1974, Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” In any case, the old classmates with certainly recall the way they were 40 years ago.
