June 25, 2024 – York, Pa.): The York Revolution walked off the Long Island Ducks on a tenth inning David Washington home run on Tuesday night, securing a first half title and sending the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 with an 11-9 victory at WellSpan Park. The Revs secure the ninth postseason berth in franchise history and their fourth first half division title (first since 2016) while clinching on a walk-off for the first time in club history.
Long Island loaded the bases with nobody out to start the game, but Aaron Fletcher got Chance Sisco to ground into a double play, albeit scoring a run while limiting the damage to a 1-0 deficit.
Matt McDermott reached on an error to start the bottom of the first and stole a pair of bases but was stranded at third base.
McDermott crossed the plate two innings later as he started the third inning with a single and took off on a full count pitch to Donovan Casey that missed high for ball four. Catcher Chance Sisco threw the ball anyway, and a throwing error allowed McDermott to move to third. With runners on the corners, starter Mike Montgomery threw over to first but McDermott broke for the plate and swiped home to tie the game. Jacob Rhinesmith drove home to the go-ahead run on an opposite field flare shot to left field, scoring Casey for the 3-2 lead.
Fletcher got Sisco to ground into another double play in the fourth, but Tyler Dearden golfed a breaking ball to right center field for a two-run homer to give the Ducks the lead back at 4-3.
York used yet another huge inning in the fourth to take the lead back. Alfredo Reyes started the inning by walking on a full count pitch. McDermott doubled him home two batters later and Ciaran Devenney scored on a sac fly from Casey. After a strikeout gave the Ducks two outs in the inning, York rattled off three straight hits, the last of which was a run scoring double from Trey Martin. Kobe Kato walked, and Reyes capped off the six run inning with a two-run single, giving York the 8-3 lead.
Fletcher retired seven consecutive hitters to get through six innings of three run baseball, but the Ducks started to get to him in the seventh when JC Encarnacion launched a two-run homer to right field. Will Carter came on in relief and two more scored on a Frank Schwindel double to right center, cutting the advantage to 8-7.
Denny Bentley struck out Sisco to strand the tying run in scoring position, and Frankie Bartow followed with a 1-2-3 eighth inning including a pair of strikeouts.
Kato worked a bases loaded walk to add an insurance run in the eighth inning, sending Matt Turner to the hill protecting a 9-7 lead.
Turner got the first two outs of the ninth, but an infield single followed by a Jackie Bradley Jr home run to left tied the game at 9-9 in stunning fashion. The Bradley Jr home run marked the first extra base hit Turner has surrendered to a left-handed hitter this season.
The Revs went down 1-2-3 in the ninth to send the game to extras.
Turner rebounded to use a pair of strikeouts to strand two runners on base in the tenth, sending the Revs back to the plate with a chance to walk things off in the tenth.
Washington wasted no time in the tenth, taking the first pitch over the Arch Nemesis and walking off the Ducks to send the Revs to the playoffs as first half champions with an 11-9 final in one of the more dramatic endings ever seen at WellSpan Park.
Notes: June 25th is the earliest the Revs have clinched a playoff spot, surpassing the previous earliest date of June 30th. York clinches the first half for the first time since 2016. It is the first time they’ve clinched with a win since 2017. They extend their overall and home winning streaks to seven games. The seven game overall winning streak is their most since they won seven straight, August 30-September 4, 2023. The seven straight home wins is the most since they won eight straight at home, September 21-October 6, 2021. Donovan Casey extended his hitting streak to 16 games with an eighth inning single.