The Long Island Ducks are lowkey having the season of their dreams. After a wild ride in Central Islip, the team is just one W away from snagging the Atlantic League Professional Baseball Championship. They’re currently leading their best-of-five series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after absolutely crushing it during two road games.
Shaking off the drama
Things looked different earlier this year when polarizing MLB All-Star Trevor Bauer, who signed with the team back in January, dipped for Mexico in June. You’d think that would tank the vibes, but the team bounced back. “You never know how guys are going to respond to different things like that,” manager Lew Ford told The Post. “And they did respond. Different guys have stepped up throughout the year.”
The path to the trophy
It wasn't an easy road. The 80-win Ducks had to pull off a total sweep of the Blue Crabs in their final regular-season series just to punch their ticket to the playoffs. They kept that same energy into the divisional round, sweeping the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars to secure their spot in the finals. Manager Lew Ford says it’s all about the basics: “It really just starts with our pitching and the defense … our pitching staff has stepped up so much.”
Long-time fans will be happy to know that former owner Frank Boulton is still cheering them on from the sidelines, even after selling the team to Texas Rangers-adjacent REV Entertainment last winter. According to Ford, Boulton is “very happy” about the championship run. Now, the team is just looking for that home-court advantage to get the final win this weekend.
Why it matters
After a chaotic regular season and a mid-year roster shift, the Ducks are proving that chemistry and solid pitching can take you all the way to a championship title.
