Whitmore Breaks Barrier: Staten Island’s Kelsie Whitmore became the first woman to ever appear in an Atlantic League game… She made her debut in the FerryHawks’ Opening Day game at Charleston on April 21 as a pinch-runner for Norberto Susini in the ninth inning.

 

MLB Service Time: Opening Day rosters showed 50 players in the Atlantic League with prior Major League Baseball service time… The numbers range from eight each for Lexington and Kentucky to two with Staten Island and Lancaster.

 

Longest AB of Opening Series: 3B Angel Garced of Charleston had the longest at-bat of the opening weekend… He faced 11 pitches from Staten Island’s Connor Law before striking out on a foul tip . . . That at-bat took place in the bottom of the fifth inning of Sunday’s 6-4 Dirty Bird win.

 

Manager Milestones: York manager Mark Mason is currently seventh all-time in Atlantic League victories with 551. He is just five wins away from tying Brett Jodie (Somerset, 2013-19) for sixth place. This week, York plays three games at Lexington and three at Lancaster.

 

Team News & Notes: Charleston is the only undefeated team in the Atlantic League after the opening weekend… The Dirty Birds took all four games from Staten Island in Charleston… After the first series of the year, Long Island leads the ALPB with a 1.67 staff ERA while also leading the league with a .301 team batting average … Southern Maryland clubbed 10 homers in taking three of four games at Lexington… Lexington hit seven homers in the four games for a total of 17 homers at Wild Health Field… Gastonia also showed its power by hitting seven homers as the Honey Hunters took three of four games from Lancaster… Staten Island is still looking for its first win as a franchise after being swept at Charleston… High Point’s pitching staff struck out 46 Genomes over the weekend, the most in the Atlantic League, while Gastonia issued the league’s fewest walks with just five… Long Island was the only club to hit a home run in every game over the weekend . . . Southern Maryland owns the game-high with five round-trippers against Lexington on April 23 in a 21-8 win over the Legends… SMD’s 21 runs would have been the second-most scored in an ALPB game in 2021... Gastonia’s pitching staff leads the ALPB in the fewest walks issued and the Honey Hunters were the only ALPB club that did not allow more than two walks in any game over the opening series… High Point committed just one error in their opening series, the fewest of any Atlantic League club.

 

Individual Achievements: Long Island’s C Joe DeCarlo is leading the Atlantic League in hitting at .714 (5 for 7) after the first series… He reached base safely in eight of his 10 plate appearances with five hits, three walks, two RBI, four runs, a pair of doubles and a triple… Gastonia’s Joe Rosa also had a great weekend as the Honey Hunters took three of four from visiting Lancaster… Rosa was 8 for 17 with a pair of doubles, a pair of homers and six RBI… Teammate Luis Roman may have only collected three hits vs. Lancaster but all three were home runs . . . He had five runs scored, five RBI and six walks… Lexington’s Blake Swihart drew a league-best eight walks in 14 plate appearances against Southern Maryland… SMD pitchers walked 19 batters in the four games and eight went to Swihart… Charleston’s bullpen had a great start to the season, earning saves in three of the Dirty Birds’ four wins… Tyler Wilson earned two of those saves, throwing two innings and allowing one hit… Spencer Bivens of Gastonia threw the most innings in the Atlantic League over the weekend without giving up a run… He held Lancaster to three hits in a pair of three inning relief appearances while walking one and striking out nine… Lancaster’s Cameron Gann is tied for the early league lead in strikeouts with nine but when taking into account that he did it in just 4.2 innings, those strikeouts account for nine of the 14 outs he recorded and 17.4 K/9 ratio… Long Island’s Joe Iorio, who picked up a win on April 23 over York, is the ALPB leader in WHIP, allowing just one hit and one hit batter in his three innings of work.