Yankees Season Comes to an End

As the summer draws toward an end, so does baseball across the country. Here in Pulaski, the season lasted just a bit longer than for most teams. This past weekend, the Pulaski Yankees squared off against the Burlington Royals in a best-of-three contest to see who would advance to a spot in the Appalachian League playoff finals. The Yankees gave it their best shot, but were ultimately defeated in the third game on Sunday night in a grueling 17-inning marathon finish.

Fans didn't know it, but they were in it for the long haul. After a close shave in the top of the second inning, the Yankees entered the bottom after managing to prevent the Royals from putting any runs on the board. They quickly went to work, putting three runs up and giving them a bit of breathing room heading into the top of the third. They again prevented the Royals from getting any runs in, and in the bottom of the third they managed to bring a lead-off single across home plate to make the score 4-0.

That's when things began to slow down a bit. Neither team brought any runs until the top of the eighth inning, when Burlington managed to bring the game to a tie at 4-4. As the game remained tied at the bottom of the ninth, both teams prepared to do battle in extra innings.

As the extra innings began, both teams continued to struggle with getting runs across home plate. The Royals threatened to take the game in the 14th inning, when there were runners on first and third. The Yankees gambled by walking the next batter for the opportunity at a double play. The gamble paid off, as the next batter hit a ground ball to the Yankees shortstop and got them out of the inning with the score remaining tied.

Unfortunately, the Yankees just weren't able to muster any offense as they drew close to the end of the night. The Royals brought their 5th run of the night in in the top of the 17th inning, and the Yankees were unable to answer in the bottom of the seventeenth. With that, the Royals advanced to the Appalachian League Championship to play against the Johnson City Cardinals. The game ended up being the second longest game in Appalachian League playoff history, just behind a 19-inning game played by the Kingsport Cherokees and the Bristol Twins in 1945.

As heartbreaking as this loss was for the players, coaching staff and fans, the Town of Pulaski still congratulates the Pulaski Yankees on an incredible season. With a 43-28 record including the playoffs, the Yankees will finish with the best record of any team in both the Appalachian League East and West. We look forward to seeing them in action again next year, in even better form and better than ever. Let's go Yankees!