After their win at Stade Canac on Thursday night, the Capitals sat atop the Frontier League’s Eastern Division for several hours. But a mistake in the use of newcomer Greg Bird ruined this beautiful work.
• Also read: The Quebec Capitales qualified for the playoffs and returned to the top
The news broke yesterday afternoon. The Frontier League found that the employment of Greg Bird, the former New York Yankees player who was hired about 10 days ago, was noncompliant.
The 30-year-old American, who did not take time to make his presence felt with his new training, “could not play in the infield as he was signed by the organization after the deadline due to the injury to outfielder Marc-Antoine Lebreux.” “said the Quebec organization in a press release issued a few hours before the start of the game against the Ottawa Titans.
“According to current regulations, a player can only be signed after the deadline if he compensates for an injury to a player playing in the same position,” it then says.
This meant that the Capitals were deprived of their valuable 4-2 win from the previous day against the New York Boulders. Before last night’s games, they were neck-and-neck with the New Jersey Jackals for first place in the East Division. An honor that comes with three days off and home advantage for the final, helping to avoid a suicide game that would take place next Tuesday.
“While we are confident that the Capitals of Quebec and Patrick Scalabrini had no ill intentions, we unfortunately feel obliged to apply the said regulation,” Border League Commissioner Steve Tahsler said in a press release.
Even Scalabrini no longer believed in it
Answering a question that morning, long before his players were deprived of their 58th triumph of the season, coach Patrick Scalabrini admitted he was surprised to find himself in such a tough battle for first place in the East.
It’s worth remembering that at the end of June, no one was giving much of the Capitals and Scalabrini himself had lost hope that his team could sneak into the playoffs.
“At the end of June, after a very bad start, I told a few people that we wouldn’t make the playoffs,” he admitted. I just wanted us to put on a good show and finish the season strong. I no longer believed in our chances. »
Crazy sequence
As of June 24, the Capitales had a record of 18 wins and 20 losses. A series of five wins at the end of June gave the reigning champions color.
However, a 14-game winning streak completely changed the situation. The team record 14-game winning streak that began on July 5th in Trois-Rivières ended on July 25th with a 17-4 defeat against the Florence Y’alls.
“This sequence turned our season on its head,” he summarized. We had suffered so many defeats that I didn’t think we could catch up. We’ve been playing very good baseball for two months and our pitching rotation allows us to win. »
Dominant starting pitchers
Let’s talk about the pitching rotation. The five starters from the start of the season are no longer in Quebec. “The general manager did a great job,” said Scalabrini, who wears it
two hats.
The Panamanians Abdiel Saldana (7-2 and 1.72) and Steven Fuentes (9-2 and 2.35), who arrived after the start of the season due to a visa problem, are the stars of the “Caps” rotation, not forgetting Ruben Ramirez ( 9-2). . The two Panamanians have the best earned run averages in the Frontier League.
The weekend promises to be wild for the Capitales and Jackals, who are each playing their final series of the season. The Jackals played a doubleheader yesterday against the Boulders, who are still fighting for a playoff spot.
With a tie at the top, the Capitals have the advantage in the tiebreaker due to a record of six wins and three losses against the Jackals.