2017 Sacramento Pirates Three-Peat in 40+ Division of Sacramento MSBL
Golden State Pirates 6, Phillies 1
Sacramento’s Golden State Pirates Three-peat!
Submitted by Dan Martinez, Pirates manager
(Photos courtesy of Jane Burkitt) The Golden State Pirates picked right up where they left off last summer, dominating the 40+ division once again with a 12-1-1 record, most runs scored and least scored against them.
With the stellar pitching rotation of Elias Mendoza, Rafa Rubio, Jason Knieriem and Aaron Kirkland, the GS Pirates rolled all season long. Adding to the pitching was a remarkable defense that included Jorge Sandoval at third base, Pajaro Rojo and Aaron Kirkland at short, Edgar Montes and Jason Knieriem at second base, Henry Garcia at first base and Ever Maldonado and Steve Sharp sharing the catching duties.
Our starting catcher Ever suffered an arm injury during the season and utility player Steve Sharp stepped up and played his heart out to become one of the better catchers in the league! This was a real season-saver for us. Sharpie had big shoes to fill with Ever’s absence and boy did he turn some heads!
If anything did get beyond the infield, the speed and gloves of center fielder Dan Martinez,
left fielder Jeremie Jones and right fielder Chavo DeLaCruz took control. Utility players Will Ruelas and Dan Peterson also came up big tracking the balls with precision. I certainly can’t forget the contributions of our sponsor and manager Tommy Tomaszewski. Our long-time player-manager has been the glue that continually holds this team together. Thanks, Tommy!
Offensively, the GS Pirates tore right through everyone’s pitching and defense all season long. Setting the lineup for this team proved challenging at times, as every single player on the roster can hit, so oftentimes we’d have some of our best hitters lower in the lineup which worked out great. They ended up at the top with the most RBI’s. Hitting is contagious with this Pirates team, as we led the division with 126 runs scored in regular season, and only 48 runs against. This is the kind of pitching and defense that wins championships!