Pancho Coimbre Announces Opening Week!

The Pancho Coimbre Baseball League has been hard at work on creating its 2024 full season schedule and has just released the first two weeks’ worth of games (see scoreboard above). In an effort to lessen the blow of rainouts and make-up games, the league has increased the number of off-site games (games outside of Central Park) in 2024, securing additional fields at the Red Hook Baseball Complex in Brooklyn and fields at Randall’s Island. While the intent is to always play as many games as possible in our home — The North Meadow of Central Park — these off-site games allow us to take advantage of turf fields (Red Hook) and larger grounds crew (Randall’s Island), both an elixir to the rains that can quash many a spring baseball game in the Tri-state area.

In other developments, as reported earlier, the league has expanded to now include 11 teams from across New York City featuring two equally weighted divisions with an expanded schedule of 24 games and an expanded post season.

Enough of the business, let’s get on with the show!

The Brooklyn Dukes vs. The Central Park Cubs Saturday, March 30th | 2:00 P.M. | Red Hook Baseball Field #9 | Single 9 Inning Game

The season kicks off with a rematch of last year’s championship series. These two teams have been at each other’s throats for the last four years and this season doesn’t look to be any different. Expect some great baseball from these two perennial contenders on Opening Day.

The Downtown Bulls vs. The Legends Saturday, March 30th, 6:30 P.M. | Red Hook Baseball Field #9 | Single 9 Inning Game

Last year’s runners up look to get the season started on the right foot as both teams have their sites set on a visit to the 2024 Championship (as is the case with all teams). The quest gets started under the lights of Red Hook on Opening Day.

The Flatbush Owls vs. The Harlem HA’s Sunday, March 31st, 6:30 P.M. | Red Hook Baseball Field #9 | Single 9 Inning Game

Sunday features a match-up between a pair of Pancho Coimbre rookies. The Owls and the HA’s both feature some big bats looking to make a quick impression. Who will get the season started on the right foot?

Triboro Tigers vs. The Mud Hens Wednesday, April 3rd, 6:30 P.M. | Red Hook Baseball Field #9 | Single 9 Inning Game

In a unique mid-week opening night game, the re-tooled Tigers try to put the hard hitting Pancho Coimbre rookies, the Mud Hens, in their place while the Hens seek to prove to their new league just how much they belong.

The Skyscrapers vs. The Legends Sunday, April 7th, 9:30 A.M. & 12:30 P.M. | North Meadow Field #3 | Doubleheader

The Skyscrapers make their Pancho Coimbre debut in the North Meadow against the Legends. The North Meadow is famous for its lack of outfield fences…except on Field 3. Will we see some of these clubs prodigious power on display in this double dip?

The Kings County Monarchs vs. The Goats Sunday, April 7th, 2:00 P.M. | Randall’s Island Field #46 | Doulbeheader

In another opening day off-site, he Monarchs look to excise the ghosts of the 2023 season against Pancho rookies, the Goats while the Goats hope to make a loud statement in their first game, not only in Pancho Coimbre but as a team.

That concludes all teams opening week schedule. For week two schedule, follow the scoreboard here (see above) or here or download the Gamechanger app for free and follow the Pancho Coimbre Baseball League 2024. Keep track of standings, league leaders, and everything else you could possibly want. See you on the diamond!

2024 Season Preview

With opening weekend just weeks away it’s time to take a look at what 2024 has in store for the North Meadow. But first, some housekeeping. While two teams exited the league (The Uptown Angels and the New York Clippers) five new clubs entered, bringing Pancho Coimbre to a roster of 11 teams — the largest its been in decades. With the growth, the league is busy organizing itself into two divisions and expanding the playoff spots from four to six. Baseball, it would seem, is back in a big way! OK, on with the 2024 season preview. Who you got?

Player Profile: John Radzinski, Los Cubs

After an epic 2023 season that saw long-time Pancho Coimbre stalwart, right hander, John Radzinski, take his team to the Championship for the second time in three years, the league was greeted with some sad news: the sidewinder from Rhode Island (by way of Arizona) was going to hang up his spikes and head west with his wife. While this was music to many a batter’s ears, we will all miss John’s competitive nature and good humor, if not his nasty slider.

We caught up with John after he had just ventured up to Santa Clara, California to see the 49’ers defeat the Lions in the NFC Championship game. In a revealing moment that speaks to his adventurous spirit and ability to make good friends wherever he goes, John said, “I actually went to the game solo. I couldn’t get anyone else to commit. Admittedly it was the day before the game, LOL. I met some new friends at the game. Kinda like Pancho Coimbre. The second you start talking to people who have this deep connection with something, it’s like you have all these weird, same memories but never met before that day. At first it was the worst money I ever spent and then became the best.” We’ll miss you in the North Meadow, John!

Name?

John Radzinski

Where did you grow up?

Scottsdale, Arizona

When did you start playing baseball?

Tee ball? So like 5?

Did you play in high school? If so, where? In college? If so, where?

I Played 2 years at Horizon High School in Arizona. It was very competitive. I was a late bloomer and Arizona is very competitive year-round baseball. Just as I started to mature, my mom and step dad moved to Rhode Island for work. I ended up picking up tennis out there. It was harder to be excited about baseball in February in New England. LOL. 

Were you always a pitcher?

Yes. And a third baseman. But primarily pitcher. 

Where did you pick up your funky windup and release point? 

As I said I was a late bloomer. I couldn’t overpower people in middle school or high school — a refrain still overheard years later in Pancho Coimbre opposing dugouts. LOL. My hopes were to throw like Greg Maddux but it turns out not everyone can throw a 2-seamer with 18 inches of run overhand. So I dropped my arm and noticed immediately the ball would at least do something and my slider actually slid and it was really easy. In my head, I imagined it looked like Randy Johnson sidearm/3 quarter slot. It wasn’t until I saw a photo of myself someone took that I realized I looked nothing like that. LOL. But whether it was a bad habit or whatever, it worked and it felt comfortable and was very repeatable for me so I kept doing it.

When did you start playing in Pancho? What was your first team? How did you join the Cubs? 

Started first in the RBI league for the A’s. Found Sol [Prophete, Cubs manager) through googling “Mens Baseball league New York, sexiest managers only.” 

I may not have ever picked up a glove again if I hadn’t played in Boston prior. I was just messing around with a friend one day at a park up there. I was pitching off a mound and some guy who ran a team saw me and said I should come pitch for his team in the BAMBU league (Boston Amateur Baseball Union). Two years there and then I moved to NY in 2009. After a few years in RBI the A’s moved to Pancho Coimbre and as time went on we merged with other teams, first the Macaleers, then ultimately the Cubs. 

What are some of your favorite Pancho memories?

The series we played against the Bulls in the playoffs in 2023 immediately sticks out. It was a crazy back-and-forth, game-to-game and within each game. We all emptied the tank. But it was baseball at its best. 

Winning our championship a few years ago against the Dukes sticks out too obviously but not a specific moment, just more looking back at that journey. Whether it was for the A’s, Cubs, Macs, etc, a lot of the guys experienced a lot of lean years, not much winning and that will test how much you really love coming out. After all we’re paying to do this, LOL! Giving up plans, making time to do this, and it only gets harder as you get older. So it was a great relief to finally win and experience that with that squad. 

Of course there are so many hilarious stories, better told over a beer, but all my favorite memories pretty much congeal into one feeling of camaraderie. I’ve seen a lot of us turn from mid-20’s idiots into early 40’s idiots, but now with children and spouses and careers and the good and bad of life. But for 9-14 innings every weekend we can put that aside. There’s a core group who have been together for over a decade and i’ll miss that kinship. 

You put up some pretty impressive career numbers! How’d you do it?

In this league your ERA is greatly affected by the defense you have behind you. Having Mark Minutaglio, “Cap” [Adam Caparell], and Quino [Joaquin Sapien] up the middle at SS, 2B CF and Leandro Inoa catching will save you a lot of runs. I don’t pay attention to wins and losses. Out of my control. Sometimes lucky. Sometimes unlucky. Sometimes you give up a run and lose and sometimes you give up 8 and win and I don’t know what our bases loaded batting average was, but it had to have been terrible with the A’s lol. Only thing I care about is walks.

Finally, the burning question everyone wants to know…Are you really retiring?!?

Semi retired. The arm is all but cooked from regular action. I think the 200+ pitches against the Bulls in 24 hours probably was the final nail in the coffin. Not saying “never” but I think I’d be much more apt to pitch every now and again if I happen to visit NYC or be part of a weekend tournament. 

Thanks for everything, John. Enjoy the California sunshine and we’ll see you soon!

Save the Date! Mark Your Calendars! 2024 Tryouts are Here.

Though winter has set in, teams are already back to training and building their rosters. That means it’s time for Pancho Coimbre’s annual tryouts. Officially scheduled for Saturday, January 27th at Primetime Baseball Complex in Astoria, Queens from 4:00 - 6:30, tryouts are a great way to shake off the rust, meet some other players, meet the managers, and hook up with a team for spring / summer 2024.

How Does it Work?

Register by dropping us an email through our contact form. Tell us a bit about yourself (Name; Age; Baseball Experience; Position(s) and leave your contact info. Then, come out to Primetime, located at 28-14 14th St, Queens, New York, 11102 from 4:00 - 6:30 on Saturday, January 27th. Bring your baseball equipment (bat, glove, etc) and $10.00 to cover costs for the afternoon. All players will have a chance to hit, throw, and pitch off a mound (if you are a pitcher). Managers will draft players after tryouts and notify all draft picks by the following week. If you are not drafted you will remain in our free agent pool and may be asked to join a roster at a later date.

Any questions? Ask. See you Saturday the 27th of January!

What a Season! The Brooklyn Dukes Claim their Second Championship in a Row! On to the Next One.

After taking a few weeks off to catch our breath (ok, months! but who’s counting?!?) we’re back and happy to finally, officially post that the Brooklyn Dukes our your Pancho Coimbre 2023 Champions. This is the Dukes second championship in a row so people are legitimately talking about a dynasty. But it didn’t start so easily for the Dukes and plenty of other teams had great seasons as well to give them a run for their money. Let’s look at 2023 in brief.

2023 Season Recap

The 2023 season got off to a rough start as we got a precursor of all the rain that was due to come as Opening Day got washed out. But things finally did get going in fits and starts and featured a hot start from the Triboro Tigers and Downtown Bulls and uncharacteristically slow starts from the Legends and the Dukes. Last year’s runners-up, the Uptown Angels, also found themselves hamstrung by early season injuries and roster turnover. But all good things (and all bad things) must end and the standings slowly started to reflect the true nature of the league as the Dukes would manage to roll out a 13 game win streak to stave off the upstart Bulls to win their third Pennant in a row. The season-ending standings looked something like this:

1) Brooklyn Dukes (15-4-1)

2) Downtown Bulls (14-5-1)

3) Central Park Los Cubs (13-7-1)

4) Legends (11-10)

5) Uptown Angels (10-11)

6) Triboro Tigers (5-15-1)

7) New York Clippers (4-16-1)

8) Kings County Monarchs (2-18-1)

With all the rainouts and the league’s desire to get all 21 games in, the final three weeks proved to be a crazy run to the playoffs. The final day of the regular season proved to be pivotal as the Legends, after righting the ship mid-season, managed to claw their way into the fourth and final playoff spot and the right to face the Dukes while the Cubs would knock out the Angels with a one run, come from behind victory to set up a showdown for the ages with the Bulls.

After knocking off the Angels, the Cubs turned right around that same day and faced off against the Bulls in game one of the semi-finals. Though they dropped game one in a 5-4 walk-off, they stunned the Bulls the next day with a 5-4 walk-off of their own and sealed the deal with a 12-11, extra-inning win right after to advance to the Championship.

Meanwhile, the Dukes would take care of business, sweeping the Legends in the semi-finals to set-up a rematch of the 2021 Championship against the Cubs with the first game of the Championship taking place at the Staten Island FerryHawks stadium the day after the All-Star Game, also at the Staten Island FerryHawks stadium (thank you for being such gracious hosts, Hawks!).

Game one showed how deep you have to be late in the season as a gassed Cubs team took one to the chin at the hands of the Dukes, 10-1. After playing four 9-inning games in two days to get to the championship, they struggled to keep up. But they still had life in them yet as they were set to send long-time league-wide ace, John Radzinski, to the hill in what very well might have been his last game. But the Dukes had their own rookie ace, Mason Calafati, ready to go and he did not disappoint. Calafati would go the distance, striking out 10, giving up just two unearned runs. Though Radzinski put up a valiant fight, going 6 1/3 innings, he couldn’t keep the pesky Dukes at bay. Though things got interesting in the ninth as the Cubs put the tying runs in scoring position, Calafati convincingly shut the door on a 4-2 win with a swinging strikeout to hand the trophy to the Brooklyn Dukes for the second year in a row. Congratulations Dukes!

What’s Next?

As we start to get into planning for 2024, keep your eye out for our announcement for our winter workouts and tryouts in January. If you’d like to join the league, please get in touch and tell us a little bit about yourself (baseball bonafides as it were) and plan to come to tryouts. We look forward to meeting you and seeing everyone back out in the North Meadows in 2024!

With Three Weeks Left in the Season Postseason Races are Heating Up.

This past week featured a flurry of Pancho baseball with playoff implications. The Bulls (11-4-1) defeated the Monarchs (2-12-1), 4-2 to hold their spot in first place. The Dukes (9-4-1) defeated the Monarchs, 10-6 to remain hot on the Bulls’ tails. The Cubs (9-5-1) thumped the Clippers (4-9-1), 23-3, to keep pace with both clubs. And the Legends (8-7) beat up on the Cubs, 10-3, to continue their climb back into playoff contention. The Tigers (4-9-1) and the Angels (8-5) got overheated and had to suspend their doubleheader leaving both teams in the lurch as they both are fighting for the postseason.

Coming up, we’ve got a full slate of baseball this weekend (weather permitting, of course. WTF?!?!) with the playoff picture still murky at best and developing daily.

First up, Saturday, July 15th the Angels (8-5) take on the Cubs (9-5-1) in the clubs’ first meeting of the season. Both teams have tough, tough schedules down the stretch and the way they perform head-to-head will likely determine their chances of making the playoffs.

The Angels also play the Bulls (11-4-1) to finish their season series with the Downtowners while the Cubs also battle it out against the Tigers (4-9-1). The Bulls, who are trying to clinch their first playoff berth since 2018, play the Tigers earlier in the day. The Tigers have a rough road ahead of them but they still have a shot at sneaking into the playoffs if they can get on a late season roll. Their destiny is in their hands.

On Sunday, July 16th, the Legends (8-7) square off against a sputtering Clippers (4-9-1). The Legends are hitting their stride and putting pressure on both the Cubs and the Angels to step their games up to stay in the chase as they are knocking very loudly on the playoff door. The Clippers, meanwhile, are still in it, barely. But if they could muster a doubleheader sweep this weekend suddenly things would look a lot rosier for the club.

Over on field 3 the Dukes (9-4-1) take on the Monarchs (2-12-1) in a doubleheader to finish their season series. The Monarchs are much better than their record indicates and they played the Dukes very tough last week so they are hoping to throw a wrench in the club from Brooklyn’s March to the postseason.

Great games all around and an exciting postseason is developing! Come out and support your team. See you in the Meadow!

Coming Down the Stretch! Pancho Coimbre Jumps Headlong into a Hectic July Race for the Playoffs.

After a July 4th week that saw just two games (an Angels vs. Bulls doubleheader that featured the two clubs splitting the day in a slugfest) the league is ready to get back into what is sure to be a frantic race to get into the playoffs, starting this Saturday.

Looking at the standings today seven out of eight teams still have a fighting chance to crack the top four and get to play some August baseball.

1) Downtown Bulls | 10-4-1

The Bulls have climbed into first place on the backs of some heavy hitting rookies, most notably Jared Sapirman (.521 BA) and Felix King (.488 BA), who have formed a fearsome 3-4, left-right combo in the middle of Bulls’ lineup. The two appear at the top of (or very close to) every leaderboard category (BA, QAB, RBI, Hits, OBP, Doubles, and HR). Sapirman and King have been supported by the lively bats of veterans Onassis Marte (.632 BA over 6 games), Dale Sanchez (.391 BA), and Logan Smeallie (.341 BA), and fellow rookies Matt Hochberg (.352 BA), Lucas Furneri (.421 BA), Alonzo Cee (.323 BA), and Arquimedes De la Cruz (.429 BA). Their pitching has been steady with veteran Paulie Baumann (1.703 ERA) holding down the fort with solid contributions from a deep cast of hard throwing and crafty characters including the ascension of rookie Mike Cellini, who has pitched to the tune of a .778 ERA over a critical 9 inning span. Can the Bulls keep pace with themselves — not to mention the Cubs, Dukes, Angels, and Legends all breathing down their neck — and avoid a late season collapse like 2022? With 6 games left and only 3 against above .500 teams, they sure hope so.

2) Brooklyn Dukes | 8-4-1

The Dukes haven’t quite been the impenetrable force that they were in 2022 but you’d be wise not to bet against them. Their pitching and defense continues to be their strong suit with James Usher (1.909 ERA) leading the way, buoyed by electric newcomer, Justin Wenig (.700 ERA), and the steady right arm of Ahmed Sayed (2.049). Offensively the club has been led by shortstop Auguste Leach (.395 BA), back from an injury plagued 2021 and 2022 season, with big contributions from Adrian Adams (.364 BA), Daniel Davidoff (.355 BA), and Ryan Kass (353 BA). With 8 games left and only 3 against .500 teams, look for the Dukes to gun for another pennant and make a deep run into August.

3) Central Park Los Cubs | 8-4-1

The Cubs are a veteran club who are playing like a very good veteran club should. Led on the mound by the 1-2 punch of John Radzinski (1.969 ERA) and Marco Baratta (.700 ERA) they have also received stellar contributions from Edwin Cruz (3.706 ERA) and Jake Simpson (0.00 ERA over five innings). Offensively, Julio Vega has destroyed opposing pitching, batting .545 on the season while a familiar cast of characters, namely shortstop Mark Minutaglio (.429 BA) and Adam Lowenthal (.474 BA) have done what they’ve been doing for years. The Cubs have 8 games remaining on their schedule but with 5 of those versus .500 or better teams, their road to the playoffs could be difficult.

4) Uptown Angels | 8-5

The Angels have continued to be an offensive force that’s getting big time production from the likes of Rafael Torres (.500 BA), Christopher Jackson (.385 BA), Hector Sanchez Jr. (.348 BA), William Cortes (.343 BA), and Manny Santiago (.314 BA). The key for the Angels is, can they get all their big bats to every game? When they do, opposing pitchers are going to take a beating. But that has happened less than they would like this season. And with the absence of last season’s Sandy Koufax contender, right hander William Weitzman, preventing runs has not been so easy. Will the heavy hitting club be able to pound their way into the playoffs? With 8 games left and 6 of those versus .500 or better teams that remains to be seen. Look for the Angels to battle it out down to the wire.

5) The Legends | 7-7

The Legends got off to a very slow start that put them in an 0-5 hole right out the gate. But since that time, they’ve won 7 of 9 to insert themselves right back into the playoff picture. Their offense has come on strong lately, led by Jesse Cooper-Leary (.450 BA) and Jason Lugo (.417 BA) mixed with the steadying veteran presence of Cato Bauer (.4.14 BA) and John Treat (.355 BA). On the other side of the ball Jake Fiendberg (1.615) and Tommy Verdon (1.312) are keeping the Legends in contention. With 7 games left and only 3 of those against .500 clubs, if the Legends can keep rolling they very well may leapfrog someone into the playoffs.

6) The New York Clippers | 4-8-1

The Clippers have had an extremely uneven season. On the positive side, the late 2022 season addition of right hander Matt Kelly has paid huge dividends for the young club. Kelly has gobbled up innings for the Clips, registering a 2.976 ERA along the way and leading the league in strikeouts with 63. But wear-and-tear may be starting to show and after Kelly the pitching picture for the Clippers isn’t pretty. Additionally, they lost first round draft pick, Matt Toy, recently to a cross-country move. Toy was not only living up to the #1 pick hype as a hitter and catcher but was also a force on the bump, posting a 2.423 ERA over 8.2 innings. Offensively the club has been strong, led by Joe Ciruzzo (.421 BA), Jonathan Flete (.417 BA), Rob Cocuzzo (.409 BA), Kelly (.375 BA), and Derek Maldonado (.368 BA). The Clippers have 8 games left with 6 of those against .500+ teams. That’s a tough schedule. But if they can somehow roll out 6 wins in those 8 games they still have a shot of making the playoffs. And really, as any baseball team will tell you, all you can really hope for is to be playing meaningful games as deep into the season as possible. Everything else is icing on the cake.

7) Triboro Tigers | 4-9-1

The Tigers, unlike the Legends, started the season hot, winning 4 of their first 7 games (and tying 1), including an upset of the reigning champs, the Brooklyn Dukes, that had people wondering if the 2023 Tigers might be a team of destiny. Unfortunately since that point they’ve lost their last 7 games which has put a serious damper on their playoff chances. Still, if they can manage to get right hander Derek Gussaroff (.700 ERA) on the hill for as many innings as possible and Fauris Marmol (3.10 BA) and rookie Alexander Sanchez (.300 BA) can continue to pound the ball they still have hope. But with 7 1/2 games left and all but that suspended 1/2 game against .500+ teams left, this will be no easy road to navigate.

8) Kings County Monarchs | 2-10-1

The Monarchs have had a rough season, never quite finding their rhythm. There have been bright spots including beating the Angels, 9-3, and defeating the Clippers ace, Matt Kelly, on a walk-off triple by Brent Cork. Additionally, veteran Chris Batista continues to be a boon for the Monarchs on both sides of the ball. Christian Hartman (1.432 ERA) and Anthony Del Greco (.656 ERA) have also proven to be reasons to believe for the Monarchs. They just have never seemed to be able to put it all together this year. Still, they played the role of the spoiler brilliantly last year, knocking the Bulls out of playoff contention on the final weekend of the season and they could very well do the same this year as they face all playoff hopefuls in their last 8 games. And hey, if they somehow won those last 8 games, they might very well find themselves in the playoffs. Always best to remember those words of wisdom, never say never.

Come on out to the yard in July and see some great baseball. Playoffs (best of 3) start the first weekend of August with the Championship series (best of 3) starting Wednesday night, August 9th at the Staten Island FerryHawks stadium (preceding by the All Star game in the same location on Tuesday, August 8th) and concluding in Central Park the weekend of August 12th. See you there!

June 11th Recaps and June 17th and 18th Schedule. Also, Pancho Goes to Cooperstown!

June 11th proved to be a wild day of baseball for Pancho Coimbre as the weather and the playoff chase heats up.

The Legends, looking to make their run, had a huge challenge, drawing a doubleheader with the reigning champs the Dukes. The Legends can ill afford to lose games if they are going to get back in this and they did not disappoint. Facing the Duke’s tough righty, Justin Wenig, in game one, the Legends’ Matteo Fochetta matched him pitch for pitch keeping his club in the hunt till they finally broke through late in the game to take home a 4-0 victory.

Game two was another hard fought contest and another must win for the Legends. Again, the club was up to the challenge, walking off against the Dukes’ Jame Usher for a 6-5 win to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Cubs were looking to rebound from a sweep the previous weekend and came to play. The Tigers we’re looking to keep their surprise season rolling. The first game featured great pitching on both sides and just enough offense for the Cubs to scratch out a 3-1 victory. In game two the wheels fell off for the Tigers as the Cubs jumped them early, banging out 17 runs while holding the Tigers to just 2.

Over on Randall’s Island the Bulls and the Clippers finally met up for a doubleheader. The Bulls mashed their way to two mercy rule wins, 15-1 and 16-6 to take over first place and put a serious damper on the Clippers playoff hopes.

Back in Central Park, the Angels continued their quest to get back to the championship series by eking out a 9-8 W versus the Monarchs.

Coming up…more baseball for Father’s Day Weekend and Pancho takes on Cooperstown!

We’ve got Saturday and Sunday games in the North Meadow this weekend. Join us for a duo of doubleheaders, Saturday, June 17th. On field #1 beginning at 1:00, the Legends look to stay hot against a Monarchs team that needs to make something happen soon. Over on Field #11 the Bulls look to stay in first place while the Tigers look to get back to their early season winning ways. On Sunday morning, the Angels and the Clippers meet up for one nine inning game as the Clippers look to keep their postseason hopes alive and the Angels aim to put more distance between themselves and the playoff hopefuls. And finally, up in Cooperstown, the Dukes and the Cubs (aka The Ben’s Dream White Sox) hit the hall of fame town for the Cooperstown Classic tournament (see schedule here). Last year the two clubs continued their Central Park battles in Cooperstown as the Cubs / White Sox squeaked out a W, 4-3.

So lots of Pancho Coimbre baseball to take in all over New York. Hope you can join us for a game or two!

June 3rd and 4th Recaps Plus June 11th Schedule. More Baseball than you can Swing a Bat At.

It was quite the week in Pancho Coimbre baseball! Saturday, June 3rd saw the Dukes take two nine inning games as superhuman, James Usher, threw 155 pitches on the day! He shut the door on the Angels in game one, throwing the last three innings for an 11 - 5 Dukes win then handcuffed the Bulls for nine innings to give the Dukes a 3 - 1 win. Wow!

On Sunday the Tigers overcame nearly the whole team playing out of position to take a 9 - 7 win over the Monarchs. The Clippers Matt Kelly threw another gem to defeat the Cubs, 3 - 2. The Clips then did it again in the afternoon contest handing the Cubs another L, 4-1, despite losing newly acquired pitcher, Jack Miller, to a most likely season ending injury.

Back over on field 11 the Legends handed the Monarchs their second loss of the day, 6-2. In their second nine inning game of the day, the Legends faced the Bulls in a nail biter that featured four lead changes. The Bulls finally set the Legends down for good when Michael Cellini got the final out of the 9th, leaving the bases loaded and giving the Bulls the 8-6 victory.

The Angels and Tigers were back at it on Tuesday night on Randall’s Island where the Halos silenced anyone who thought they might be slipping with a 13-1 trouncing.

Playoff races are heating up in the North Meadow with the Clippers inserting themselves back into the thick of things and the Legends and Monarchs still looking to make a run.

We’ve got a full slate of baseball coming at you tomorrow, Sunday, June 11th!

First up, the Cubs (6-4-1) look to rebound after being swept last weekend as they take on the Tigers (4-3-1) who are looking to rebound themselves after taking a beating at the hands of the Angels Tuesday night. 10:00 & 1:00 | Field 11.

The Legends (2-6) try to find some momentum in a doubleheader against a Dukes club (6-2-1) that seems to already have found it after sweeping their doubleheader last weekend. 12:30 & 3:30 | Field 3.

The Bulls (5-3-1) and the Clippers (3-4-1) finally meet up for the first time this season after several aborted attempts. In this rare off-site battle on Randall’s Island The Clippers look to stay hot after sweeping the Cubs last weekend while the Bulls look to cool them off by staying as steady as they’ve been all year. 3:00 & 5:30 | Randall’s Island Field 42.

Then, back to the cozy confines of the North Meadow, where the Monarchs (2-7-1) will try to find their footing against an Angels (5-4) club looking to climb back to the top of the standings.

Come out and take in some baseball as the race for the Pancho Pennant heats up!

Memorial Day Recap and June 3rd and 4th Schedule. We’ve got Baseball for You!

Pancho Coimbre’s abbreviated Memorial Day schedule produced some great baseball as the Brooklyn Dukes (4-2-1) and the Uptown Angels (4-3) clashed in a Saturday afternoon heavyweight match-up. Though the Dukes season started out a bit rocky, going 2-2-1 over the opening weeks, they seem to have found their footing with the emergence of ace Justin Wenig and an offense propelled by Auguste Leach, James Usher, and Daniel Davidoff.

In game one of the doubleheader everyone came up big as the Dukes would need every ounce of offense and the strikeout prowess of Wenig to hold down a tough Angels club with revenge for a championship loss in 2022 on their mind. Wenig spun a gem, striking out 16 over seven innings to register a 4-2 victory for the boys from Brooklyn. In game two, the Dukes jumped on the Angels early, led by the return of Myles Carter in his first game back since coming off the IL as well as Philip Sheers and Davidoff. Ahmed Sayed picked up the W for the Dukes with some assistance from George Saint-Hilaire and Usher on the hill. Will Cortes had a stond-out day for the Halos in centerfield, going 2 for 3 at the dish with an RBI to keep his club close despite eventually taking an L, 9-4. The sweep by the Dukes sets up what is sure to be a fantastic season series finale between the two teams on Saturday, June 3rd at 1:00 p.m. on Field #1 in Central Park’s North Meadow.

Sunday featured the final game of the season series between the Central Park Los Cubs (6-2-1) and the Downtown Bulls (4-2-1). Having split their doubleheader a few weeks prior, both clubs were looking to take the series and move into first place.

The game started out as a tightly contested affair as the teams traded leads into the 5th inning with the Cubs up 3-2. But the wheels would eventually fall off on a shaky Bulls defense that committed six (!) errors on the day and the Cubs would break the game open, 5-2, in the bottom of the fifth, never looking back. Marco Baratta kept the Bulls offense in check surrendering two earned runs on five hits over six innings, passing the lead to Bulls killer, John Radzinski who coasted through the final three innings. Joaquin Sapien, Johanes Espinal, and Julio Vega all picked up multiple hits for the Cubbies who would eventually take home the W, 8 - 2, the season series (2-1), and sole possession of first place. A productive and happy Memorial Day Weekend to be sure.

Moving on to this weekend, June 3rd and June 4th (see schedule below), we’ve got a lot of big games with big implications for the season. Come on out and cheer on your favorite club and enjoy what promises to be a beautiful weekend in Central Park. See you at the yard!

Memorial Day Weekend Baseball Bonanza!

After unceremoniously having our baseball dreams crushed once again by Mother Nature last weekend Pancho Coimbre is back at this weekend, albeit in abbreviated fashion. We kick off the long weekend with the matchup everyone has been waiting for as the reigning champs, the Brooklyn Dukes (2-2-1), take on 2022’s runners-up, the Uptown Angels (4 - 1) in a doubleheader today, Saturday, May 27th, on field #1 in the North Meadow beginning at 1:30.

The fun continues on Sunday, May 28th with a season series deciding game featuring the Central Park Los Cubs (5-2-1) vs. the Downtown Bulls (4-1-1). These two clubs played a tightly contested doubleheaders a few weeks back, splitting the series to set up what promises to be another well-played, close battle Sunday morning. So come out to Central Park this weekend and take in some Memorial Day baseball! We’ll be back to a full schedule next weekend. See you soon!

Mother’s Day Weekend Recap and Weekend Schedule, May 20th & 21st

The Cubs (5 - 2 - 1) and the Legends (1 - 5) squared off in a Mother’s Day weekend doubleheader on Saturday, May 13th. Game one featured the Cubs’ John Radzinski doing what John Radzinski does — going the distance and getting his club the W. Radzinski improves to 3 - 0 on the season with a 1.826 era. Game two saw the Legends feasting on the soft underbelly of the Cubs’ pitching staff to pick up their first victory of the season, 12 - 9. Legends’ first baseman, John Treat, broke out of a season long slump to go 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI while Cato Bauer, JT Cubano, and Matt Nunez also had big days at the plate to deliver the win.

Mother’s Day showcased the Clipper’s (1 - 4 - 1) talented ace, Matt Kelly, going toe-to-toe with the Monarch’s (2 - 5 - 1) mainstay, Chris Batista, in what might have been the best game of the season thus far. The two righties battled it out to a 2 - 2 tie going into the 9th with Kelly picking up 17 Ks along the way. 17!!! The Monarchs’ Anthony Del Greco took over for Batista in the 9th and followed his lead, keeping the Clippers at bay. Kelly went back out for the bottom of the 9th looking to push the game to extras but he walked the first batter he faced, Jordy Rodriguez, bringing up Brent Cork. Cork, smelling blood, worked the count to 2 - 1 and then unleashed a blistering triple into the right field gap to send the Monarchs home happy with a win, 3 - 2.

Moving right along…Who knows what the weather holds but until we see drops dripping down from the sky ☔️🌧️⛈️🌦️💧we’ll keep getting ready for a weekend full of baseball in Central Park’s North Meadow! See the full schedule below. See you there!

Weekend Recap and a Look Ahead, 5/13 - 5/14

Last weekend proved to be a wild one in Central Park. The Monarchs and the Angels met up on Saturday afternoon with the Angels looking for a sweep to move to 5 - 0 on the season. And after a 12 - 1 trouncing in game one this looked like a foregone conclusion. It’s hard enough to regroup after a beating like that but having to do it against one of the top teams in the league is another thing entirely. But this being baseball, anything can happen. And anything did happen as the Monarchs managed to pull off an upset to take game two, 9 - 3. Featuring a complete game, 3 hit masterpiece by Monarchs’ starter, Jon Del Greco, the victory put the Monarchs in the win column for the first time this season.

Sunday morning featured another apparent mismatch as the defending champs, the Brooklyn Dukes, were slated to take on the Triboro Tigers in a doubleheader on field #11. But this is a different Tigers team featuring some key off-season pickups, like rookie sensation, Alex Sanchez. And this Tigers team did not disappoint as they came out ready to play scoring one in the first and plating three more in the third. On the other side of the ball, Tigers’ starter Derek Gussaroff managed to quiet a dangerous Dukes’ offense, giving up just two runs on four hits over five solid innings while striking out 9. Fellow rookie standout, Jack Handon took over for Gussaroff to pick up the save, throwing two scoreless innings to give his club the victory, 5 - 2. Handon is quietly putting together a stellar season both offensively (.600 average) and on the mound (1.750 era).

Game two would prove not quite as exciting for the Tigers as they would have to face the Dukes’ own rookie sensation, Justin Wenig, for the second time in two weeks. And for the second time in two weeks Wenig would shut out the Tigers by the identical score of 13 - 0, though this time his five innings would not produce a no-hitter. Ahmed Sayed took over for Wenig in the 6th and 7th to slam the door on any hopes of a Tigers’ revival. Wenig joins Sayed and James Usher in a formidable Dukes’ rotation that appears to be very bad news for opposing clubs.

On field #3 the Cubs and Bulls met up for the first time this season. The Bulls had a productive day at the yard despite getting Radzinski’ed in game one — a feeling they have become all too familiar with over the past three seasons.

The Cubs’ ace, John Radzinski and Bulls’ ace, Paulie Baumann Jr. squared off in another tightly contested affair between the two that saw the Cubs jump out to a quick 2 - 0 lead (Baumann’s first runs he’s given up all season) only to watch the Bulls go up 3 - 2 in the 4th. The Cubs managed to tie it up in the 6th and preceded to walk it off in the bottom of the 7th off Bulls’ rookie reliever Michael Chevtchenko for their second walk-off win of the year.

Standout plays to get outs at the plate by Alonzo Cee in center and Lucas Furneri in right made this a dream game to watch. Furneri also had a great day at the dish going 3 for 3, driving in two of the Bulls 3 runs. Jared Sapirman had a big game at the plate too, going 3 for 3, scoring 2 of the Bulls 3 runs.

In game two the Cubs again jumped out to a quick 3 - 0 lead. The Bulls then summoned Sapirman from the pen to settle down the Cubs’ lively bats and he was more than up to the task as he proceeded to throw 5 hitless innings, issuing just one walk and racking up 9 strikeouts. A big time performance from a big time player.

While Sapirman suffocated the Cubs’ bats, the Bulls’ bats finally started to wake up. Matt Hochberg, Dale Sanchez, and Sapirman all picked up two hits apiece while Marcel Johnson, Sanchez, Hochberg, Cee, and Felix King all drove in late inning runs to secure the Bulls win, 5 - 3.

In the matinee over on Field #11, the Clippers squared off against the Legends. The Legends, surprisingly, were still looking for their first win of the year but unfortunately they’d have to try and get it off of Clippers ace, Matt Kelly — a tall order. Kelly would end up going the distance for the Clippers, striking out 15 along the way to hand his club its first victory of the season.

Things are definitely getting interesting in the North Meadow and Mother’s Day weekend looks no different. In an abbreviated schedule the Cubs and Legends will face off in a Saturday, May 13th doubleheader (2:00 and 5:00 first pitches) on Field #1 while Sunday features the Clippers and the Monarchs both looking for their second win of the season on Field #11. Happy Mother’s Day!

5/6 - 5/7: What’s on Tap this Weekend?

After two disappointing weekends (and weeknights) of rainouts Pancho Coimbre is ready to give it a go this weekend — weather and the Central Park Conservancy permitting, of course. Please see the weekend’s schedule below. Also, many fans have been clamoring for a full schedule. For the full schedule, please be sure to download the new GameChanger app and search for your favorite Pancho teams to follow. Soon you should be able to follow the league as a whole in order to check standings and stats as well as schedules. Hey GameChanger, when’s that going to happen?

4/22 - 4/23: What’s on Tap this Weekend?

The season is only two weeks in and we’ve already got some intriguing plot twists playing out in the North Meadow. The undefeated Uptown Angels take on a winless Legends club fighting to keep their head above water. The Monarchs have been playing some good baseball but have almost nothing to show for it…yet! Will this be the weekend they break out? The Clippers have an exciting ace in Matt Kelly toeing the rubber for them but the offense needs to score some runs to get him (and the Clippers) his wins. They’ll have their work cut out for them against the Dukes who had all their skills on display last weekend against the Tigers and seem to be hitting their stride. And who will win the battle of the 3 - 0 - 1 clubs when the Cubs take on the Bulls? With Marco Baratta back to full strength and John Radzinski still dealing, the Cubs are looking as strong as ever. Can a rebuilt Bulls offense and defense stop the Cubs surge? Come find out!

4/15 - 4/16: Weekend Report.

What was supposed to be a weekend of wild weather turned into a weekend of mild weather mixed with wild baseball. The North Meadow was witness to the continued scoreless streak of the Bulls’ Paulie Baumann Jr. in a complete seven inning game that lasted all of 1:20; a five inning no hitter and near perfecto from the Dukes’ Justin Wenig (and a cool 6 RBI from outfielder Adrian Adams); a taut pitcher’s duel between the Clippers’ Matt Kelly and the Angels’ Shaun Santana; another crisp outing from the Cubs’ John Radzinski who defeated the Monarchs; and two big blowouts. We’re only two weeks in and the season is already shaping up to be a doozy!

Opening Weekend Produces Great Baseball from Central Park to Randall’s Island.

Pancho Coimbre’s season got off to a thrilling start on Saturday, April 8th with a double header featuring the reigning champs, the Brooklyn Dukes versus perennial contenders, Los Cubs. To top off an already juicy marquee matchup, game one showcased “Sandy Koufax” (Pancho’s “Cy Young”) nominees, the Dukes’ James Usher and the Cubs’ John Radzinski. The matchup did not disappoint with both starters going strong into the 5th inning with the Dukes leading 2 - 1. Marco Baratta, who battled injuries last season, relieved Radzinski in the 5th, showcasing stuff that suggests he’s back to full strength. Usher kept cruising for the Dukes, looking to close the game out in the top of the 7th. But the Cubs had other plans.

Cubs catcher, Leandro Inoa, led off the inning with a single. With one out, Adam Caparell singled to center field with Inoa advancing to second. Chris Candelaria then hit into a fielder’s choice with Caparell out at second and Inoa advancing to third. But with two outs, most expected Usher to work his way out of this jam and net his first W. With Zach Mayer at the plate, Candelaria took advantage of defensive indifference and swiped second to put two runners in scoring position and Mayer came up big, singling to center to score two and put the Cubs up 3 - 2. Baratta took it from there, emphatically slamming the the door on the Dukes to pick up his — and the Cubs — first win of the season, 3 -2.

Game two was not quite as crisp but no less exciting with the Dukes tying things up in the seventh inning, 6 - 6 to salvage a tie after a tough loss on opening day. These two games provided a great primer for what’s sure to be excellent baseball all season in the North Meadow.

On Sunday, April 9th, the Tigers and the Clippers kicked things off with a morning doubleheader. Game one was a back-and-forth affair featuring some standout performances from rookies, first round draft picks Alex Diaz (who hit a big home run in the second inning) for the Tigers and Matt Toy for the Clippers, as well as the Tigers’ second round pick, lefty Jack Hendon. The clubs traded runs up until the end when the Tigers would make one final run against a shaky Clippers’ bullpen to tie the game up, 8 - 8. Another tie on opening weekend.

Game two was another tightly contested affair with the Tigers pulling out the win, 4 - 3, in the final inning and ending the game on a play at the plate. More proof that Pancho Coimbre baseball is not to be missed this season.

Following up the Tigers and Cubs, last year’s runners up, The Uptown Angels squared off against longtime Central Park stalwarts, the Legends in a single nine inning game that did not disappoint. The Angels ran ace, Manny Santiago, out to the bump and he did exactly what aces are supposed to do, deal. Santiago was primarily the Angels’ third baseman last year but after Sunday’s performance he undoubtedly secured himself a spot in the rotation. Over six innings he struck out 10 giving up just two earned runs.

The Angels plated five runs over five and two thirds innings against Legends starter, Christopher Rodriguez, and those runs would prove to be enough. Despite mounting a comeback against the Angels’ pen, the Legends couldn’t climb out of the early hole. Angels pick up the opening weekend win, 8 - 5.

Out on Randall’s Island, where Pancho holds a few games early in the season, the Downtown Bulls looked to exact revenge on the Kings County Monarchs who knocked them out of playoff contention on the final weekend of last season. Longtime Bulls ace, Paulie Baumann Jr. climbed the hill for the Bulls and did what he always does, get outs. Backed by standout defense from rookie shortstop, Matt Hochberg, and fellow rookie, Felix King at third base, Baumann rolled groundout after groundout to go the distance, registering a three pitch inning and a seven pitch inning along the way. And despite the return to the mound of Monarch’s ace, Brent Cork, who was kept from pitching all last season with injuries, the Bulls picked up a run here, a run there, a run here, and another one there to finally end the game 10 - 0.

Game two would prove to be a much different story as Bulls rookie, Jared Sapirman and catcher Brandon De La Rosa had a hard time getting on the same page and the Monarchs took full advantage, plating four runs in the top of the first. But Sapirman settled down, going three innings and picking up six strikeouts along the way to keep the Bulls in the game. King hit the Bulls’ first home run of the season in the second inning to make the score 4 -1. But the Monarchs would manage to push three more runs across against the Bulls bullpen in the fourth.

Meanwhile, the Bulls just couldn’t quite figure out the Monarchs starter, Chris Bautista, until finally, with Bautista running on fumes in the top of the seventh, the Bulls cracked the code, tying the game up at seven apiece on an Onassis Marte RBI single, loading the bases with two outs. But Bautista dug deep as King settled into the batter’s box. King had had a great day all around and had already hit a bomb off Bautista but the wily righty would win this battle, getting King to ground out to short for the final out. The Monarchs salvaged the tie (another tie?!?!?) on opening weekend. Wow!

What’s on Tap for April 15th and 16th?

Saturday, April 15th | Legends vs. Bulls (DH) | 2:00 & 5:00 | Central Park North Meadow, Field #1

Sunday, April 16th | Angels vs. Clippers (DH) | 10:00 & 12:30 | Central Park North Meadow, Field #11

Sunday, April 16th | Cubs vs. Monarchs (DH) | 12:30 & 4:00 | Central Park North Meadow, Field #3

Sunday, April 16th | Dukes vs. Tigers (Single 9 Inning Game) | Central Park North Meadow, Field #11

Opening Day?

Spring on the east coast has a way of dashing any baseball player’s dreams of warm sun, green grass, and the crack of a bat. The Mets’ home opener just got cancelled. The Orioles’ home opener against the Yankees has been postponed. Sadly, last weekend Pancho Coimbre met the same fate as the skies opened up over Central Park’s North Meadow just prior to April 1st’s much anticipated Uptown Angels vs. Brooklyn Dukes doubleheader.

The precipitation continued throughout the day and night with enough accumulation to quash any hopes for the rest of the league’s match-ups the following day, despite the gorgeous weather. Central Park is notorious for being protective (over protective?) of its fields and without a dedicated grounds crew the chances of suiting up for a ballgame after a night of rain is practically nil despite what some have called our “deranged optimism.”

But we are baseball players and we are baseball fans so what type of league would we be without adhering to the old adage first penned by Alexander Pope in his poem, “An Essay on Man”, and quickly adopted by every team to ever set foot on a diamond? Hope springs eternal. And that it does. So with a new weekend upon us, we anxiously glance at our weather apps every hour and prepare for a weekend full of baseball — regardless of any forecasts that might point to the contrary. Without further ado, here’s what’s on deck for Pancho Coimbre’s Opening Weekend in Central Park’s North Meadow and beyond, April 8th and 9th:

2023 Season Preview

As the thermometer inches past 40 degrees on a regular basis that can mean only one thing: Baseball is right around the corner in the northeast. In New York City’s Central Park that means specifically that Pancho Coimbre’s 2023 baseball season is right around the corner. With Opening Day officially slated for April 1st featuring a 2022 Championship rematch, baseball is, in fact, just over 20 days away. So with that settled, let’s take a look at what 2023’s 8 returning teams are shaping up like.

Opening Day Announced! The Brooklyn Dukes Set to Square off Against the Uptown Angels on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 in a Championship Rematch.

After very successful tryouts, planning for the 2023 season has kicked into high gear with Commissioner, Jamey Libhart, officially announcing opening day weekend. In a rematch of last year’s tightly contested championship series, the Central Park champs, The Brooklyn Dukes, will take on the Uptown Angels on Saturday, April 1st. This double header (Time TBD) has many subplots brewing and the intrigue will only continue to develop as the season draws closer. The other six teams will play single, nine inning games on Sunday, April 2nd making for a beautiful weekend of baseball just over six weeks away.

Teams have been defining and refining their rosters since December in preparation for Opening Day. The tryouts, held on Tuesday, January 31st, provided the opportunity for clubs to pick up some new talent — plenty of which was on display on that cold winter evening.

The first pick went to the New York Clippers who signed recent Union College grad, standout catcher, Matt Toy. While the multi-talented Toy adds to a rapidly improving Clippers team looking to make the jump from worst to first in 2023, all teams got much better on draft night. After a 2022 season that featured three new teams to the league (The Clippers, Monarchs, and Tigers), 2023 has all 8 clubs returning with a much better sense of the level of competition and what it will take to dethrone the Dukes. 2023 is shaping up to be a great spring and summer of baseball in Central Park’s North Meadow.

If you missed the tryouts and are still looking for a team, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Drop us a line and tell us a bit about your baseball experience (highest level played, the last time you played organized ball, positions played, etc) and we’ll add you to the free agent list. Rosters are constantly shifting right up till opening day and throughout the season, so come join us in Central Park!

Tryouts Set for Tuesday, January 31st at Primetime Baseball Complex in Astoria, Queens. Register Today!

Though winter has set in, teams are already back to training and building their rosters. That means it’s time for Pancho Coimbre’s annual tryouts. Officially scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st at Primetime Baseball Complex in Astoria, Queens from 7 - 9 tryouts are a great way to shake off the rust, meet some other players, meet the managers, and hook up with a team for spring / summer 2023.

How Does it Work?

Register by dropping us an email through our contact form. Tell us a bit about yourself (Name; Age; Baseball Experience; Position(s) and leave your contact info. Then, come out to Primetime, located at 28-14 14th St, Queens, New York, 11102 at 7:00 on Tuesday, January 31st. Bring your baseball equipment (bat, glove, etc) and $10.00 to cover costs for the evening. All players will have a chance to hit, throw, and pitch off a mound (if you are a pitcher). Managers will draft players after tryouts and notify all draft picks that week. If you are not drafted you will remain in our free agent pool and may be asked to join a roster at a later date.

Any questions? Ask. See you Tuesday!

2022 Year End Wrap: Dukes Crowned King of New York; All Star Game Produces Some Big Hits; League Readies Itself for an Epic 2023.

2022 was the year of Big Arms in the North Meadows. Each weekend every team produced some great pitching performances to neutralize the league’s traditionally potent offenses. So it was only fitting that the best of three Championship Series would feature two of the league’s best on both sides of the ball — William Weitzman for the Uptown Angels and James Usher for the Brooklyn Dukes.

Weitzman went a cool 7 - 1 for the Halos, striking out a ridiculous 127 hitters in 73 innings and holding opposing batters to a .196 average while turning in a minuscule 1.342 ERA on the season. He was just as formidable with a bat in hand, hitting .419 while striking out just three times and driving in 15 runs. Not to be outdone, Usher went 7 - 0 for the Dukes registering a microscopic 1.006 ERA while giving up just 40 hits over 55.2 innings, and striking out 64 along the way. Like Weitzman, Usher turned in an All Star performance in the batter’s box too, hitting .400 with an OPS of .990 while driving in 19 runs.

Everyone was anxiously anticipating a match-up of the two aces in the opening game of the series but the Dukes pitching staff was notoriously deep this season. Going with a bit of gamesmanship, they opted to start Ahmed Sayed, who on almost any other club would be the ace, hoping to steal game one and then start Usher in game two. Sayed pitched a gem, matching Weitzman inning for inning but ultimately the Angels side-winding righty would prove too tough, turning in a Cy Young-like performance, going the distance while striking out 10. Angels take game one, 3 - 1.

But this is where the Dukes depth paid big dividends all season — they still had their number one for game two to try and even the series, while the Angels went with Erik Perez. While Perez had a good season he couldn’t match Usher, who went six innings, giving up no runs on five hits. Musa Wenkosi closed it out for the Dukes, giving up one run but ultimately closing the door to give the Dukes a 4 - 1 victory and setting up a decisive game three on Sunday morning, August 14th at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, home of the Mets single A team, the Brooklyn Cyclones.

While both teams would have undoubtedly preferred to have taken home the Championship Trophy Saturday afternoon, the opportunity to win it all on a beautiful Sunday afternoon overlooking the Atlantic Ocean was equally enticing. And with the All Star game to follow, the day was set up to deliver some special performances.

Three games in two days is a tall order for any team but the Angels and the Dukes were meeting in a winner-takes-all Championship game for a reason — they were both plenty deep to go toe-to-toe for nine innings. The Angels would send Manny Santiago, who had pitched all of eight innings up until this point, to the hill. The right-hander “is too good of a third baseman so we can’t give him a lot of innings,” manager Chris Pena explained. “But don’t let the workload fool you, he is a beast on the bump too.” The Dukes countered with Eric Pascale, who had been limited to 11 innings due to ongoing nagging shoulder injuries.

The Angels struck first with three runs in the third aided by some uncharacteristically sloppy defense by the Dukes. Santiago was cruising for the Halos, throwing strikes and setting down the Dukes with ease. In the sixth he would bend, but not break, giving up a run to make the score 3 - 1 heading into the seventh. Meanwhile, Pascale had found another gear and proceeded to shut down the Angels after that messy third inning. And then in the seventh, the Dukes would finally break through with three more runs to make the score 4 - 3.

The lead seemed to give Pascale even more energy as he powered through the eighth and ninth to take home the W and raise the Championship trophy for the Dukes for the first time.

The game had special significance as the Brooklyn Dukes are a club with some serious history, dating back to the 1930s when they specialized in putting the hurt on teams throughout the many sandlots of baseball-crazed Brooklyn. Dukes manager, Carlyle Leach, explained that his great uncle was a critical part of those teams so bringing the championship trophy back to Brooklyn was particularly sweet for him. The Dukes definitely earned their right to be proud, going 21 - 4 - 1 on the season and going wire-to-wire.

It was a special year for the Dukes and the league as a whole as Pancho Coimbre bounced back impressively after having the 2020 season cancelled due to the Pandemic and then having a rocky 2021. 2022 featured a lot of great baseball that was summed up perfectly by a fun-filled All Star game that followed the Dukes big win, including standout performances by the Downtown Bulls Paulie Bauman on the hill and at the plate and the Central Park Cubs perennial All Star shortstop, Mark Minutaglio.

The league is now excitedly preparing for an even stronger 2023 with tryouts slated for late February. Sure it’s winter but that doesn’t mean it’s time to hibernate. Get in touch and get ready to play ball! We look forward to seeing you in the North Meadows soon.

Graphic by Wil Collazzo

Both the Brooklyn Dukes and the Uptown Angels managed to sweep their respective opponents on Saturday, August 6th, setting up a Championship Series the weekend of August 13th and 14th (if necessary) featuring two of the best arms in the league. The Angels’ William Weitzman will lead his club against the Dukes and James Usher in a match-up between wily vets (the Angels) and young upstarts (the Dukes). If the semi-finals were any indication, we’re in for some great baseball this weekend.

To reach the Championship Series for the second year in a row, the Dukes first had to get through their longtime rival, the Central Park Los Cubs, In a repeat of last year’s championship series, which the Cubs won.

Both teams featured a bit of gamesmanship in game one, holding back their aces, Usher for the Dukes and John Radzinski for the Cubs. But neither club’s number two is anything to sneeze at, as the Duke’s Ahmed Sayed quickly showed, blowing through the Cubs’ lineup while Patrick Lopez and John Stewart returned the favor for the Cubs.

The teams battled through the heat to a 0 - 0 tie going into the bottom of the seventh when the Dukes would finally mount a real threat. With two on and two out and Lopez tiring the Cubs decided to go to their ace, Radzinski, to get that final out and push the game to extra innings. Radzinski, who pitched to the tune of a 1.108 ERA this season, took to the mound and promptly walked his first batter, loading the bases. With the bases full up of Dukes, Radzinski reverted to his funky wind-up that has given the league fits for years. But over on third base stood the Dukes’ not-so-secret weapon, Myles Carter. The speedy Carter is all-too familiar with Radzinski and figured if the Dukes were going to win this, they needed to take advantage of his slow wind-up and win it right then and there.

With Ian Harris at the plate and the count 1 - 1, Carter took his shot, tearing down the third base line, screaming at Harris to “get out of the way! Get out of the way!” Cubs catcher, Zack Mayer, saw the play developing and frantically lunged at Radzinski’s pitch but Carter was too quick, sliding headfirst under the tag to, very literally, steal the win for the Dukes with a walk-off steal of home. Madness ensued from the Dukes’ dugout while the Cubs were left to regroup for game two.

The Dukes’ Myles Carter with the straight steal of home to walk it off in game one.

Game two featured the match-up everyone was anticipating with the Cubs in need of a win to stay alive. This would be a tall order with the Duke’s big righty, James Usher, toeing the rubber. Usher has posted a minuscule 1.128 ERA over nearly 50 innings this season and he didn’t look like he was about to add to that right from the start of the game. “He looks like he’s throwing a good 5 - 10 miles per hour harder than the last time we saw him,” Cubs coach, Mike Pollack said. But the Cubs had their own ace, Radzinski, going and were feeling good. This was clearly going to be a low-scoring affair.

The Dukes were able to scratch out a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth as Radzinski looked a bit out of sorts after being blindsided by the steal of home in game one. Two runs to make up against Usher is always a tough task, especially on this day when the heat seemed to be working in his favor.

But the Cubs never go down quietly and they mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning started by shortstop, Mark Minutaglio, who legged out a lead-off infield single to shortstop, Auguste Leach. Leach had to rush his throw and it got by first baseman, Jordan White, allowing Minutaglio to move to second base.

Cubs’ shortstop, Mark Minutaglio, legs out an infield single to start a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning.

After Usher got a swinging strikeout of John Stewart for the first out, Leonardo Inoa, stroked a line drive single to right field, moving Minutaglio to third base. Next up was Tyler Durr who hit a hard ground ball to first base that White had a hard time handling, allowing Minutaglio to score from third, to make the score 2 - 1, and Inoa to advance to second. White was able to recover and shovel the ball to Usher covering for the second out. But the Cubs were in business. Next up was Adam Caparell, who the Dukes elected to intentionally walk to bring up Zack Mayer, the Cubs catcher from game one, who was surely looking for a bit of revenge. Alas, it was not to happen. Usher got ahead quickly, 0 - 2, and finally coaxed Mayer into a line-out to shortstop, Leach. The Dukes were heading back to the Championship and this year, they want to take home the cup.

Over on field 11, the Legends and Angels were getting at it after a heated week leading up to the semi-finals. The Legends were a bit short-staffed and were going up against William Weitzman, who has been having a year for the ages, posting a 1.485 ERA while striking out an absurd 117 batters over 66 innings. But the Legends didn’t blink, sending Tommy Verdon to the hill to square off against the big righty.

Verdon held his own against Weitzman, giving up just three runs over six innings — one in the first, one in the third, and one in the sixth. But three runs would prove to be too much on a day when Weitzman would rack up another 11 Ks in a complete game, 3 - 0 victory.

Devon Marrero drives in two for the Angels with a big double to get things rolling for the halos in game two.

Game two started out ugly for the Legends, as their depleted pitching staff would have to go up against the Angels #2, Erik Perez. The Legends patch-work staff would surrender three runs in the first on an inside-the-park home run off the bat and the hustle of Christopher Jackson before they recorded an out. Before the Legends could get out of the inning the score would be 4 - 0 and everyone was bracing for a very long afternoon.

But showing the grit that has made them one of the best teams in the league for many years now, the Legends didn’t roll over, despite getting down 9 - 1 by the end of the third inning. The Legends pushed across three runs in the fourth to make the score 9 - 4, another in the fifth, and another in the sixth to make the score 9 - 6. And with John Treat dealing after coming on in the fourth inning, the Legends were sensing a comeback. But nine runs are tough to overcome and no one would be accomplishing that feat on this day. Manny Santiago moved over from third base to close out the game for the Angels, pushing the Uptown squad to their first Pancho Coimbre Championship series.

The Championship series is a best of three format with the Dukes and the Angels facing off in a doubleheader on Saturday, August 13th on field one, with first pitch at 1:00. Sunday’s game, if necessary, will take place at Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, in Coney Island, with the first pitch at 11:00 followed by the league All Star game at 2:30. Admission is free so come on out, enjoy the last days of summer, root for your favorite Pancho Coimbre players, and hit the beach or the amusement park afterwards. It should be an awesome, epic day! See you then!

Graphic by Wil Collazzo

On to the Playoffs! (July 31st)

The regular season finished in dramatic fashion. Though the Dukes never relinquished their stranglehold on first place the other three playoff spots were up for grabs right down to the final weekend. After the rebuilt Bulls failed to unseat the Cubs for the fourth and final playoff spot after an untimely four game losing streak (including an unsightly 13 - 1 drubbing at the hands of the Cubs) the only thing that remained to be seen was how the Angels, Legends, and Cubs would be seeded.

The Angels rode a nice little hot-streak into the season finale to nab the #2 seed while the Legends hit a bit of stumbling block at the end of June and into July to drop to the #3 seed. And finally, the Cubs, despite a shaky start, got hot at the right time to hold off the aforementioned Bulls to claim the #4 seed. So with seeding set there’s nothing left to do but get ready for an action-packed weekend leading up to the championship game and all-star game at the Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium in Coney Island on August 14th. Should be an exciting two weeks of Pancho Coimbre Baseball! Come out and check out the action.

Playoff Schedule (August 6th - August 7th) | Playoffs are a best of three format.

Cubs (#4) @ Dukes (#1) | 1:00, Field 1 < | > Dukes (#1) @ Cubs (#4) | 4:00, Field 1

Legends (#3) @ Angels (#2) | 1:00, Field 11 < | > Angels (#2) @ Legends (#3) | 4:00, Field 11

If necessary…

Cubs (#4) @ Dukes (#1) | 1:00, Field 3

Legends (#3) @ Angels (#2) | 1:00, Field 11

Pancho Coimbre Take Cooperstown!

Father’s Day proved to be an eventful one for Pancho Coimbre. The annual Cooperstown Classic Tournament at Doubleday Field took place over the weekend and two clubs from Central Park headed north to participate. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the Dukes and the Cubs (in the form of Ben’s Dream White Sox — a team created to honor Ben Siedman and help the Ben’s Dream Foundation raise awareness and funds to cure Sanfillipo Syndrome, a rare degenerative disorder) squared off in a typically tense game. These two Central Park stalwarts having been going at each other for a few years now and though the Cubs defeated the Dukes in 2021 to take home the championship trophy, the Dukes have gotten the better of the Cubs this year, sweeping the three game season series.

After both teams took home early victories in the single elimination, nine team tourney, they would meet again as two familiar foes faced off on an unfamiliar bump — John Radzinski for the Cubs and James Usher for the Dukes. The two clubs traded leads up until the 7th inning when the Dukes would tie things up at three only to see the Cubs answer back in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4 - 3 lead. But as is par for the course, the Dukes weren’t done and in the ninth they put runners at 1st and 2nd with two outs. The Dukes’ Jordan White came up and smoked a hot-shot seemingly headed for right center field but a diving stop by former Cub, Brad Previti, and a toss to Mark Minutaglio covering second sealed the 4 - 3 victory for the Cubs and set up what is sure to be a heated playoff run in Central Park over the next month.

Perhaps exhausted from the back-and-forth battle with the Dukes, the Cubs dropped their next game to the eventual tournament champions, The Rochester Stinger. Regardless, it was a great showing from Pancho Coimbre in the place where baseball started.

Back in the cozy confines of Central Park, the race for the playoffs continued to heat up. The Bulls picked up a much needed win against a depleted Monarchs team, banging out 14 hits, led by a 4 for 4 day from second-baseman, Dale Sanchez. With more than enough offense and another solid outing on the hill from Paul Bauman, the Bulls inched a bit closer to the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Legends continued to stay hot, running their winning streak to seven and their season record to 11 - 3 - 1 after victories against the Clippers and Monarchs on Saturday afternoon. The Angels, on the other hand, ran into a bit of road-block. The Tigers and the Angels from Uptown played a nail-biter matinee, as undefeated William Weitzman went head-to-head with the Tiger’s Derek Gussaroff. Weitzman has been near un-hittable all year and he was again in this contest. But the Tigers managed to scratch out a run early on 4 hits and 3 walks, despite striking out 15 times and Gussaroff would prove to be just a bit better, no-hitting the Angels through seven, recording nine strikeouts of his own. But Gussaroff would give way to Charles Armstrong and the Angels would mount a comeback but it was too little too late to save themselves from defeat. Tigers snatch a big win, 2 - 1.

On Sunday, the Angels would get back to their winning ways, wiping out the Clippers to run their record to 10 - 4 on the season and remain right in the thick of the playoff hunt.

Now, back to a full slate of baseball in the North Meadow!

Weekend Match-ups (June 25th & 26th)

Saturday, June 25th; Dukes vs. Monarchs (1:00), Field 11

Saturday, June 25th; Clippers vs. Legends (1:00 & 4:00), Field 1

Sunday, June 26th; Bulls vs. Tigers (10:00 & 12:30), Field 11

Sunday, June 26th; Cubs vs. Angels (12:30 & 3:30), Field 3

Weekend Report (June 11th & 12th)

The Cubs came into the weekend of June 11th and 12th on a roll, winners of their last five games, they now sat in the coveted fourth, and last, playoff spot. They kept the good times going against the Clippers, sweeping the New York nautical team, 3 - 0, behind a typical gem from righty John Radzinski,. In the afternoon match-up, despite outhitting the Cubs, the Clippers couldn’t hold down an opportunistic Cubs club, falling 15 - 5.

Not to be outdone, the Dukes came into the weekend on a five game winning streak of their own and looked to keep things going against a Bulls team looking to claw its way back into playoff contention. The Dukes quickly put those dreams on hold, crushing the Bulls 15 - 0 in the first game, powered by a James Usher three run bomb. The second game proved a much better contest but the Bulls were again tormented by Usher, this time on the mound. The righty went up against Jhona Padilla for the Bulls and the clubs played to a 1 - 1 tie into the fourth. But an untimely error and a base hit would spell the end of the day for Padilla who gave way to right-hander, Zack Murphy. A costly walk would plate another run for the Dukes to give them a 2 - 1 lead by the end of the inning. That is all Usher would need to collect his fourth win, going all seven innings and lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.00 and raising the Dukes record to 13 - 1.

The Angels handled their business against the Tigers handily, taking the early afternoon contest 13 - 0, and the matinee 6 - 2. William Weitzman continued his standout season for the Angels, as he went five innings in game one, striking out 11 and giving up just two hits and two walks.

The Legends continued their march toward the playoffs, taking on the Monarchs on Sunday. Game one proved to be a tight pitchers duel as Cubs righty, Matteo Fochetta, and Monarchs righty, Jonathan Lustberg squared off. Fochetta would get the better of Lustberg, however, going all seven innings, picking up seven strikeouts along the way. The second game didn’t provide quite the same tense atmosphere as the Legends ran away in the fourth inning on their way to a 13 - 1 routing.

Weekend Match-ups (June 18th & 19th)

Saturday, June 18th; Monarch vs. Bulls (1:00), Field 1

Saturday, June 18th; Clippers vs. Legends (1:00), Field 11

Saturday, June 18th; Monarchs vs. Legends (4:00), Field 11

Saturday, June 18th; Tigers vs. Angels (4:00), Field 1

Sunday, June 19th; Angels vs. Clippers (1:00), Field 11

Weekend Report 6/4 & 5

The first weekend of June marked the half-way point for Pancho Coimbre Baseball. Mercifully, the rain stayed away and a full slate of games were played in the North Meadow.

The Bulls and Tigers got things started on Saturday. The Tigers came out strong, aided by some shaky Bulls defense, to pull ahead 3 - 1 by the fifth. Tigers starter, George Correa, was dealing, keeping the Bulls off balance all day. But in the seventh, Correa would run out of gas and give way to Chris Carroll and that would be the window the Bulls were looking for. The Bulls jumped on the reliever for four in the seventh, propelled by a Logan Smeallie triple and some shaky Tigers’ defense, and one in the eighth to make the score 6 - 3.

The Tigers would not go quietly, however. Having knocked Bulls starter, Paulie Bauman, out in the sixth, the Tigers staged an uprising against reliever Jarvis McGrath in the bottom of the eighth, plating two to make the score 6 - 5 going into the ninth. Looking to secure the win, the Bulls went to their pen again in the bottom of the ninth, calling on game two starter, Brian Maloney, to get the save. The Bulls defense betrayed them again, however, allowing the first batter to reach base and making the Bulls bench nervous. But Maloney quickly settled things down, snaring a screaming line-drive and flipping to first to turn the double play and then striking out the final batter to pick up the win for the Bulls.

The matinee would be no less dramatic, as the Bulls stayed on the field to take on the 10 - 1 Dukes for the first time this season. Maloney climbed the hill again for the Bulls and showing a little fatigue — and getting little help from his maligned defense — gave up a quick three runs in the bottom of the first. But the lanky righty settled down from there and kept the game close, allowing the Bulls to tie things up in the third on a loud double off the bat of Sal Bernabel and some hustle by Onassis Marte on a dropped third strike, allowing Bernabel to score from third.

But the Dukes struck right back in the bottom of the third to take a 4 - 3 lead and with starter, Eric Pascale, settled in and dealing it looked like that would be enough for the first place club to take home another W. The Dukes tacked on another run in the fourth and then dealt the decisive blow in the fifth when Myles Carter, hitting at a crisp .429 pace this season, drove a two run home run to deep left center to knock Maloney out of the game and push the Dukes lead to 7 - 3.

The Bulls weren’t done, however, and were thrilled to see Pascale finally leave the game in the ninth in favor of George Saint-Hilaire. The hard-throwing righty didn’t have his best stuff and walked the first three batters forcing the Dukes to go to their pen again in favor of David Williams. Williams made quick work of the first two batters he faced, striking the pair out, before encountering some trouble. Zack Murphy stepped up for the Bulls and singled on the third pitch he saw to plate a run. The Bulls would see another run cross the plate on the same play via an errant throw to make the score 7 - 5. Bulls catcher, Guy Wasko, then stepped up to the plate and singled on a 1 - 2 pitch to score another run. Suddenly the score stood at 7 - 6 with the tying run standing at second base. Up came Bulls second baseman, Gideon Teitel, who smoked the first pitch he saw. The line-drive looked headed for left-center field to tie the game. But it was not to be. Dukes shortstop, Philip Sheers, made a great leaping catch to end the game and dash the Bulls hopes of stealing a win.

Sunday’s match-ups were no less compelling. The Clippers and Monarchs got things started, with the Monarchs notching a 9 - 1 victory but dropping a 10 - 5 game to the Angels in the afternoon. The Cubs continued their winning ways after a rough start to the season, defeating the Legends 4 - 3 and the Tigers 8 - 1. The Legends got back in the win column quickly, knocking out the Angels, 15 - 3 in the afternoon match-up, setting up an exciting second half as four clubs look to be battling for playoff spots and the Dukes look to continue their hot start and the Clippers and Tigers (who picked up their first win of the season on Tuesday night, June 7th against the Monarchs) look to get hot and see if they can force their way into the action.

Weekend Match-ups (June 4th & 5th)

Saturday, June 11th; Cubs vs. Clippers (1:00 & 4:00), Field 11

Saturday, June 11th; Angels vs. Tigers (1:00 & 3:45), Field 1

Sunday, June 12th; Monarchs vs. Legends (12:30 & 3:30), Field 11

Sunday, June 12th; Dukes vs. Bulls (12:30 & 3:30), Field 3

Weekend Report 5/28/29/31

To the surprise of no one, all Memorial Day games were rained out after a late Friday night downpour that continued into Saturday, shelving the Monarchs / Tigers game scheduled for the 28th and unfortunately all of Sunday’s games as well. But ever resourceful, the Tigers and the Monarchs took their game from the island of Manhattan to Randall’s Island on a sweltering Tuesday evening, May 31st and at last, Pancho Coimbre baseball was played.

In the seven inning contest, the Monarchs got off to a quick start, plating a run in the first and three in the second to jump out to a 4 - 0 lead they would not relinquish. Backed by a solid outing from a trio of arms (Jerry Cruz, Mike Guillaro, and Jonathan Lustberg) the Monarchs kept an always dangerous Tigers’ offense at Bay. Despite netting two runs in the fourth and another two in the sixth on a double off the bat of Charles Armstrong to creep within two, the Tiger’s couldn’t climb out of the early hole. The two teams meet again next Tuesday, June 7th, again on Randall’s Island but not before a hopeful full slate of games in Central Park this weekend.

Weekend Match-ups (June 4th & 5th)

Saturday, June 4th; Triboro Tigers vs. Downtown Bulls (1:00), Field 1

Saturday, June 4th; Brooklyn Dukes vs. Downtown Bulls (4:00), Field 1

Sunday, June 5th; New York Clippers vs. Kings County Monarchs (10:00), Field 11

Sunday, June 5th; Legends vs. Central Park Cubs (12:30), Field 3

Sunday, June 5th; Uptown Angels vs. Kings County Monarchs (1:00), Field 11

Sunday, June 5th, Central Park Cubs vs. Triboro Tigers (3:30), Field 3

Sunday, June 5th, Legends vs. Uptown Angels (4:00), Field 11

Weekend Report 5/20 & 5/21

After a torrential downpour Friday night, May 20th, the cruel decision was made by the Central Park Conservancy to close the North Meadow Ballfields on a beautiful, warm, sunny Saturday, throwing another wrench in an already tricky schedule for Pancho Coimbre.

Thankfully, Sunday was kinder and a full slate of games got underway bright and early, beginning with the Legends / Tigers doubleheader on Field 11.. Despite the Tigers travails in the early goings they have continued to show improvement every week. And despite dropping a tough game one, 8 - 2, and falling behind early in game two, 7 - 0, they showed some true grit, storming back in the late innings to tie things up. In the bottom of the seven they were even able to load the bases with one out for what looked to be a sure walk-off to get them in the win column. Sadly, for the Tigers it was not to be as Manager, Charles Armstrong, grounded sharply into a close 4-6-3 double-play to end the game in a tie.

Over on Field 3, the Dukes and Monarchs went head-to-head for the first time this season and what started out as a well-played game one quickly devolved for the Monarchs as the Dukes’ bats came alive. Mostly known for the pitching and defense, the Dukes appear to have gotten their bats going too, led in this game by James Usher, who collected four hits in the 16 - 1 victory. In game two, it was more of Usher, this time on the mound as well as the plate, that spelled doom for the Monarchs as they fell to the Dukes, 5 - 1. The Dukes moved to 10 - 1 on the season and continue to sit snuggly in first place at the half-way mark.

In the late afternoon match-up, the Clippers and the Bulls battled it out in a make-up game of their season opener that was rained out. A revamped Clippers club jumped on lefty Jarvis McGrath in his first start of the season for the Bulls. McGrath couldn’t find the strike zone, issuing 6 walks in his inning and a third of work, allowing the Clippers to take an early lead, 2 - 0. With John Uva on the mound for the Clippers, this would prove to be too big of a hole for the Bulls to dig out of. Despite stellar relief work from Tomer Keysar, Marcel Johnson, and Zack Murphy, the Bulls were stymied by Uva the whole game, as the Clippers cruised to a 4 - 2 victory to salvage a win in the two clubs’ season series.

Memorial Day Weekend Match-ups

Saturday, May 28; Kings County Monarchs vs. The Triboro Tigers (2:00 & 5:00), Field 1

Sunday, May 29th; Uptown Angels vs. Central Park Cubs (10:00), Field 11

Sunday, May 29th; Uptown Angels vs. Downtown Bulls (1:00), Field 11

Weekend Report 5/14 & 5/15

On Saturday, May 14th the Cubs and the Monarchs met for a doubleheader as rain threatened at first pitch and then took over midway through game one. But that didn’t stop the two clubs from battling it out for the first time this year.

The Monarchs jumped out to a quick 2 - 1 lead in the second inning but the Cubs came right back, plating two in the third, another in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take a commanding 6 - 2 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Jake Bader and John Radzinski combined teamed up on the hill for the Cubs to limit the Monarchs to just four hits in the match.

Game two was a well-played affair despite the dreary conditions. The Cubs struck first, scoring one in the first only to have the Monarchs tie it up in the second with a run of their own. But the Cubs would strike back in the third, plating four runs with the big blow coming off the bat of Adam Caparell who ripped a double on a 1 - 2 count to score two runs. The Monarchs would scratch back, plating another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth while Rhett Hoskins and Chris Bautista settled in on the mound and quieted down the Cubs bats. With the score standing at 5 - 4, the Cubs pushed across one more run in the top of the seventh to give them some breathing room, which it turned out they would need. In the bottom of the seventh with one out, the Monarchs drew two big walks to threaten but Leandro Inoa would get Eli Tan to ground into an inning ending double play after an eight pitch battle to secure the Cubs second win on the day, 6 - 4, and their fourth in a row.

With a weekend heatwave on the horizon, look for a full slate of games this weekend. Bring plenty of water and grab a seat in the shade!

Schedule for the Weekend of May 21st & 22nd

Saturday, May 21st; Brooklyn Dukes vs. New York Clippers (2:00), Field 1

Saturday, May 21st; Uptown Angels vs. Central Park Cubs (2:00), Field 11

Saturday, May 21st; Central Park Cubs vs. Downtown Bulls (5:00), Field 11

Sunday, May 22nd; Triboro Tigers vs. Legends (10:00 & 12:30), Field 11

Sunday, May 22nd; Triboro Brooklyn Dukes vs. Kings County Monarchs (12:30 & 4:00), Field 3

Sunday, May 22nd; Downtown Bulls vs. New York Clippers (4:00), Field 11

Weekend Report 4/30 & 5/1

The Angels and Legends squared off on Saturday, April 30th and the doubleheader did not disappoint.

In Game one, Matteo Fochetta took the hill for the Legends and was able to go the distance, surrendering five runs on five hits while striking out eight. Joey Amato took the loss for the Angels, giving up six runs on seven hits in four innings of work. Though the Angels managed to get within striking distance in the fourth, the Legends pulled away in the sixth en route to a 9 - 5 victory.

Game two would be a different story entirely as former Mets farmhand, William Weitzman, took over the game both offensively and defensively. On the hill Weitzman went six innings, giving up no runs on four hits while striking out five and walking just one. At the plate, the righty went 3 for 4 driving in 5 of the Angels 10 runs as the Halos rolled to a 10 - 0 W.

On Sunday, May 1st, the Clippers and Dukes went head-to-head for a doubleheader that seemed over before it started. The Dukes rolled the Clips in game one, mercy ruling them in the fifth inning, 10 - 0. After pouncing on Clippers pitching in the first inning for 8 runs the Dukes cruised behind the trusty arm of James Usher who gave up just one hit in his five innings of work.

Game two was much of the same as the Dukes piled the runs on throughout the seven inning affair and limited the Clippers to one run on seven hits behind the arm of Joseph Dudley. The Dukes notched another victory, 10 - 1, to move to 8 - 1 on the season.

The Cubs and the Bulls took the field later in the afternoon for a Sunday doubleheader. The Bulls came out swinging, plating three quick runs on a lead-off double from Logan Smeallie followed by an opposite field double off the bat of Stefan Livsey, quickly followed by a two run blast from Sal Bernabel. Though the Bulls offense came to life in this game, it was really all about right-hander, Brian Maloney, who threw his second complete game shut-out of the year. Maloney gave up just five hits, striking out 11 Cubs while walking none to guide the Bulls to victory, 7 - 0.

Game two featured the handy work of two wily vets: John Radzinski for the Cubs and Paul Bauman for the Bulls. The first inning looked like it might be a high scoring affair as each team loaded the bases only to have both pitchers wiggle out of the jams and settle in from there.

The Bulls scratched out a run in the third only to have the Cubs follow with a run of their own in the top of the fourth. The two crafty righties traded zeros until the sixth when the Cubs plated another run aided by a Bulls error to take a 2 -1 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, with Radzinski still toeing the rubber, the Bulls would threaten when Onassis Marte would take a lead off walk followed by an opposite field single from pinch hitter Brian Maloney. Though he would bend, Radzinski wouldn’t break, setting down the next three batters to earn the win.

In an early evening affair, the Triboro Tigers and the Kings County Monarchs faced off for what was supposed to be a single, nine inning game. But the high-scoring game would cut the contest short as the Monarchs would earn the W in the seventh inning on a walk off double off the bat of Chris Batista to push Kings County’s record to 2 - 3 and leave the Tigers still looking for that elusive first win.

Schedule for the Weekend of May 7th & 8th

Saturday, May 7th; Downtown Bulls vs. Kings County Monarchs (2:00 & 5:00), Field 1

Sunday, May 8th; Triboro Tigers vs. New York Clippers (12:30 & 3:30), Field 3

Weekend Report 4/23 & 4/24

The Dukes and Angels squared off Saturday, April 23rd, in a battle of undefeated behemoths and the doubleheader did not disappoint. Game one featured a pair of aces squaring off as William Weitzman took the hill for the Angels and James Usher toed the rubber for the Dukes. Weitzman proceeded to mow down the Dukes for the first six innings, striking out 16. Meanwhile, the Angels offense was able to deliver just enough to give Weitzman a 3 -1 lead heading into the seventh. But the Dukes don’t ever go quietly and this game was no different as they managed to tie things up in the top of the seventh. In the bottom half of the inning the Dukes’ Usher kept the Angels bats silent forcing the game into extras.

The Angels’ Weitzman gave way to Shaun Santana in the eighth and that was all the opening the Dukes would need as they quickly jumped on the reliever, plating two runs on three hits and a walk to take a 5 - 3 lead. With Usher still on the mound for the Dukes in the bottom of the eighth the righty was able to set the Angels down in order after a lead-off walk to secure the win and hand the Halos their first loss of the season. But the day was not done…

The early evening contest featured another well-pitched game with veteran righty Erik Perez taking the ball for the Angels and Ahmed Sayed starting things off for the Dukes. The two teams battled it out, remaining tied at two through regulation, again forcing an extra innings affair. Sayed gave way to Adrian Adams earlier in the game, keeping the game knotted but the righty seemed to run out of gas in the eighth, surrendering four runs in an uncharacteristically all-over-the-map defensive half-inning for the Dukes. Perez stayed on for the Angels to protect the club’s 6 - 2 lead and though things got very interesting he managed to shut the door, handing the Dukes their first loss of the season.

Sunday’s contests proved no less compelling. The Cubs and the Tigers got things started Sunday morning. The Tigers have had a rough introduction to the Pancho Coimbre league facing the championship runners up from 2021 in the Dukes their first weekend and then the champion Cubs this weekend. While they managed to play closely matched games into the later innings, the up-until-this-weekend winless Cubs finally managed to get their potent offense going handing the Tigers a 14 - 1 loss and an 11 - 1 loss. The Cubbies now stand at 2 - 5 while the Tigers are still looking for their first W heading into a single nine inning game with the Monarchs on Sunday, May 1st.

Next up, the winless Clippers and the winless Monarchs met up and each grabbed a W from the other to bolster their records to 1 - 5 and 1 - 3 respectively. Game One was a back and forth affair with the Monarchs finally breaking through for good in the sixth aided by two HBPs from Austin Fodera of the Clippers and some big hits from Rhett Hoskinson and Anthony Del Greco. After the tough 9 - 6 loss the Clippers remained winless heading into the afternoon contest.

Game Two was another tight one into the fifth inning when the Clippers’ Rob Cocuzzo delivered the decisive blow with a two run triple on the first pitch of his at-bat. The Clippers would not relinquish the lead and would go on to claim a 7 - 3 victory, their first of the season.

And in the final game of a baseball packed weekend in Central Park, the undefeated Legends and the .500 Bulls met up for their regular season series finale. The Legends took the first two games of the series so the Bulls were looking to salvage a W and came out swinging to do so. Led by big first inning doubles off the bats of Logan Smeallie and Sal Bernabel, the Bulls scored three quick runs to precipitate an early exit for Legends starter, Daniel Brickner.

Tony Baglivo came on in relief and settled things down for the Legends but by that point the damage was done and with righty, Paul Bauman, in cruise control, the Bulls wouldn’t relinquish the lead. Bauman would go on to pitch eight innings, giving up just one earned run. Zack Murphy closed things out for the Bulls to grab the win, 6 - 4, pushing the club to 3 -2 on the season and handing the Legends their first loss.

Schedule for the Weekend of April 30th & May 1st

Saturday, April 30th: Legends vs. Uptown Angels (2:00 & 5:00), Field 1

Sunday, May 1st: Cubs vs. Downtown Bulls (12:30 & 4:00), Field 3

Sunday, May 1st: New York Clippers vs. Brooklyn Dukes (10:00 & 12:30), Field 11

Sunday May 1st: Triboro Tigers vs. Kings County Monarchs (4:00), Field 11

Weekend Report 4/16 & 4/17

The Dukes took on the Triboro Tigers Sunday, April 17th in what proved to be a wild double-header. In Game One the Dukes quietly took care of business in a 7 - 2 victory. Game Two, however, proved a bit more challenging as the Tigers punched and clawed their way back from an early deficit. The Dukes, however, were able to hold off Tigers to seal the deal with a 9 - 8 win to remain undefeated. If nothing else, the Tigers proved that the vaunted Dukes pitching staff can be scored on.

The Legends also remain undefeated on this young season after taking two from the Cubs. Game One was an all too familiar plot line for the Cubs this season as ace John Radzinski pitched a gem only to lose 1 - 0 as the Cubs’ struggles at the plate continued. The bats finally woke up in Game Two but that still couldn’t hold the Legends back, as they went on to take home an 8 - 5 victory to run their record to 4 - 0.

The Kings County Monarchs finally got on the ball field only to run into a hot Angels team in a Sunday doubleheader. The Angels proved too much as they tallied two wins, 7 - 2 and 10 - 1, to move to 4 - 0 on the season as well.

The Downtown Bulls and the Clippers met up in Pancho Coimbre’s first off-site this year, going head-to-head on Randall’s Island for an Easter Sunday doubleheader. Paul Bauman pitched the Bulls to their first W in Game One, 5 - 1, while Brian Maloney threw a one-hit shut-out at the Clippers in Game Two to pick up the Bulls second win of the day, 3 - 0. The Bulls moved to 2 - 2 on the season while the Clippers dropped to 0 - 4.

Schedule for the Weekend of April 23rd & 24th

Saturday, April 23rd: Brooklyn Dukes vs. Uptown Angels doubleheader (2:00 & 5:00), Field 1

Sunday, April 24th: Central Park Cubs vs. Triboro Tigers doubleheader (10:00 & 12:30), Field 11

Sunday, April 24th: New York Clippers vs. Kings County Monarchs doubleheader (12:30 & 4:00), Field 3

Sunday, April 24th: Legends vs. Downtown Bulls, single nine inning game (4:00), Field 11

Weekend Report, April 9th & 10th

It’s been a rough few weeks for newcomers, Kings County Monarchs and Triboro Tigers. The two clubs had a scheduled bye opening weekend and then their opener against each other got rained out on Saturday the 9th due to “field saturation.” The clubs are anxiously watching the weather reports and hoping for the best come Sunday the 17th when the Monarchs are scheduled to square off against the 2 - 0 Angels and the Tigers go head-to-head against the 3 - 0 Brooklyn Dukes.

Seeing the rain-outs Saturday struck fear into the hearts of the teams scheduled to play Sunday, despite the clear forecast. An impromptu visit to Central Park on Saturday night with broom in hand by an unnamed Pancho Coimbre manager proved to pay dividends, clearing the standing puddles on most of the fields so they could dry appropriately but more importantly, discovering one of the scheduled fields had a fence running through the infield, signaling a no-go for three of the five scheduled games on Sunday.

The Clippers and Angels, who had been rained out opening weekend, were scheduled to get their double-header started at 10:00 a.m. on said field with the Cubs and Dukes set to follow. Hearing of the conditions of the field, Clippers manager, Rob Wolf, sprinted over to North Meadow at 7:30 Sunday morning to discuss the issue with the Parks Department. Told there was nothing they could do (“see…there’s a fence running through the infield.”) Rob pressed for a solution and was told Field 5 had no permits issued for that day and it was first come first serve. So, Rob set up camp on Field Five while Commissioner, Jamey Libhart, alerted the league and made sure the umpires were aware of the switch. Yes, Rob may have severe frost-bite but baseball was played!

Sadly, the games didn’t go as expected for the Clippers as the Angels came ready to play, taking game one 14 - 4 and sealing a winning weekend by pouncing on the Clippers 9 - 2 in the afternoon match-up.

The Dukes and Cubs squared off for the third time in a week in a late afternoon 9 inning affair, pitting the Cub’s John Radzinski (again!) against the Duke’s Joseph Dudley. As has come to be expected of these two clubs, this was a crisp contest with Dudley going four innings followed by a strong five innings from David Williams. The Dukes practiced their well-oiled formula of pitching and defense, squeaking out just enough offense to pick up the win, 3 - 1, and register the season sweep of the Cubs. No doubt these two will meet again come post-season. We can’t wait!

Over on Field Three, there was much less of a scramble as the field was in beautiful condition for the Legends and the Bulls to get their season underway. Game One featured a well-played pitching duel between Bulls veteran righty, Paul Bauman, and Legends ace, Matteo Fochetta. The two traded zeroes into the fourth inning when the Legends finally broke through with three runs. Righty Tomer Keysar, fresh from corrective eye-surgery, picked up Bauman in the fifth and settled things down, striking out four over two innings. But the damage was done and Fochetta was locked in, going all seven innings, striking out six and walking none to pick up the win, 3 - 0.

The second game of the double-header was not nearly as clean. The Bulls stumbled out of the gate and the Legends took full advantage, plating four runs in the first inning and two in the second. With the return of Daniel Brickner to the mound for the Legends this would prove to be too deep of hole for the Bulls to dig themselves out of. They did manage to calm the Legends’ offensive output with a strong three innings of work from Zack Murphy followed by scoreless innings from Gabriel Bernabel and Logan Smeallie. And Murphy would briefly electrify the crowd with a three run jack over the center-field fence in the bottom of the fourth, breathing life into the dormant Bulls offense but it wasn’t enough. Matt Nunez and Tony Baglivo came out of the bullpen for the Legends and shut the door on any potential Bulls’ uprising. The Legends took two on the day, ending it with a 9 - 3 win to move to 2 - 0 on the young season.

Schedule for the Weekend of April 16th and 17th

April 16th:

Central Park Cubs vs. Legends. Doubleheader. 2:00 & 5:00, Field 1, North Meadow.

April 17th:

Downtown Bulls vs. New York Clippers. Doubleheader. 10:00 & 1:00. Randall’s Island, Field 48.

Uptown Angels vs. Kings County Monarchs. Doubleheader. 12:30 & 4:00. Field 3, North Meadow.

Triboro Tigers vs. Brooklyn Dukes. Doubleheader. 12:30 & 4:00. Field 11, North Meadow.

See you there then!

If you missed the tryouts, are just getting to town, or have finally dusted off that mitt and bat but have no team, no sweat….Get in touch and get on the field.

Opening Weekend Report!

Saturday, April 2nd, proved to be just about perfect baseball weather in the North Meadows and the Dukes and Los Cubs brought some of their best baseball chops to go with it. The day’s double-header was a rematch of last season’s championship series in which Los Cubs came away with the trophy after sweeping the Dukes, powered by a one-hit shut-out from John Radzinski. Radzinski was on the hill for Los Cubs again and was spinning his usual magic as he and Duke’s ace, Jame Usher, traded zeroes in a battle of the righties with funky wind-ups and filthy stuff.

But the Dukes would flip the script on this 2022 Opening Day weekend, with Usher throwing a one-hit shut-out at Los Cubs and the Duke’s offense breaking through after finally getting Radzinski off the bump. The Duke’s catcher, Wil Collazo, would deal the final blow with a dramatic walk-off base-hit to grab the 1 - 0 victory in game one.

More Zeroes were traded in game two but the Duke’s righty, Adams Peguero, would prove to be too much for Los Cubs and the Duke’s patient offense would finally break-through in the late innings. The Dukes had their revenge, notching another W, 7 - 0, for a sweep on the day. The two powerhouses will clash again this Sunday, April 10th at 4:00, Field #11.

2022 Season Preview

With Opening Weekend looming, it’s time to get a preview of what the 2022 season has in store:

Los Cubs

The defending champions, Los Cubs, have long been a premier team in the Pancho Coimbre league and last year was no different. Though they finished in 3rd place behind the Dukes and Angels, they led the league in batting average and OPS and finished 2nd in team ERA, led by ace John Radzinski. With manager Sol Prophete at the helm, shortstop Mark Minutaglio holding the infield together, and the big bat and arm of Marco Baratta joining Radzinski, Los Cubs are primed to make an appearance at Maimonides Park in August.

The Brooklyn Dukes

The Dukes finished in first place last year thanks to the tried and true formula of pitching and defense. Led by longtime coach, Carlyle Leach, the Dukes featured a league leading team ERA with a rotation fronted by the fearsome threesome of James Usher, Anthony Thompson, and Joseph Dudley. Backed by the double-play combo of Auguste Leach and Kyle Diangkinay, and just enough thump from the likes of catcher Wil Collazo the Dukes impressed in 2021 and figure to be right back in the mix for the top spot in 2022.

The Uptown Angels

Another stalwart of Central Park’s North Meadows, 2021 was an up and down year for the Angels (as it was for most teams). As they’ve been known to do, the Angels mashed Central Park pitching, finishing second in batting average to the Cubs, led by the two-headed beast of Hector Sanchez Jr. and Karl Roman. Though pitching was a little more uneven for the Halos in 2021 they had their very own fearsome threesome led by Erik Perez and backed up quite capably by Joey Amato, and Mike Mercado. Like every other summer in the Meadows, expect the Angels, led by injury free, longtime player/manager, Chris Pena, to be fighting for the top spot in July.

The Legends

The Legends, another longtime Pancho Coimbre club, were a team in transition in 2021. Beset by an early injury to frontline starter, Daniel Brickner, the Legends struggled to find their footing all season. Though they did see some stand-out performances from the likes of John Treat at the plate and Matteo Fochetta both at the plate and on the bump the Legends couldn’t find the consistency necessary to carry themselves deep into the playoffs. But hope springs eternal, as the baseball Gods say, and if a Brickner mid-winter bullpen is any indication, the Legends should be back in full force in 2022 and ready to contend into August.

The Downtown Bulls

The Bulls have been around the New York City baseball scene since 2006 and have seen some stellar seasons. The past two, however, have not been amongst them. Joining Pancho Coimbre in 2019, the entry into Central Park was not smooth, as the Bulls finished a miserable 2 - 19. 2020 was a total loss, as it was for most in baseball, and 2021 was not much better, as the Bulls finished the campaign 3 - 14 - 1. Longtime player / manager, Dave Morillo, decided to step away from managerial duties and handed the reigns to veteran Bull, Andrew Wagner.

After the rough 2021, Wagner had had enough and decided to tear the whole thing down and see if the Bulls could rise from the ashes of the pandemic triumphant. Still led by veterans like Joe Wolf and Logan Smeallie the Bulls expect to get a big boost from the much anticipated sophomore efforts of the cousins Bernabel, Sal and Gabe, the big bat of Central Park rookie, Onassis Marte, and a completely rebuilt pitching staff featuring veteran, Paul Bauman, second year standout, Jarvis McGrath, and newcomers Stefan Livsey, Armani Ortiz, Brian Maloney, and Teddy Brennan. With this new look, the Bulls are hoping to step out of the basement and see what the view is like from the penthouse.

The Clippers

Formed in 2020 by longtime Bull, Rob Wolf, the Clippers made their debut in the Metro league in 2021. Though their inaugural season was not exactly what they imagined, they bounced back with an 8 - 3 fall season, and in the process amassed a strong core of players including Jon Uva, Jonathan Flete, Joe Cirruzzo, Michael Richiez, Austin Fodera, Mike Gallinari, Angel Cuebas, Gustavo Rodriguez, Derek Maldonado, and Wolf himself, who led the Bulls in both hitting and ERA (in limited time) in 2021. After an off-season of change, the Clippers are looking to be the surprise team of the North Meadows in 2022.

Kings County Monarchs

After 6 seasons in the Metro League the Monarchs bring a strong core to the North Meadows. Led by manager Rico Gardaphe, the Monarchs look to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2021 season. The infield trio of Brent Cork, Michael Guillaro, and Anthony Del Greco are primed to make Kings County an offensive force in the league. The Monarchs also bring back veteran utility man Brian DiToto and aces Jerry Cruz, Justin Cutler, Mike Senay and Jonathan Lustberg. While the transition to the wilds of Central Park can be tough, the Monarchs appear readied to make some noise. 

The Triboro Tigers

Rounding out our stellar line-up of teams for 2022 is another new-comer to the North Meadows. The Tigers are led by manager Charles Armstrong who has built a solid reputation of bringing high-quality baseball to the diamond. Shortstop Christopher Carroll leads the charge on the field and is followed by a strong crew who finished 2021 in the Metro league just shy of .500. After an off-season of additions, subtractions, and additions by subtractions, the Tigers appear primed to compete for the ‘chip come August. Only time will tell.

Who you got?

CUBS TAKE HOME THE CHIP in 2021!

John Radzinski threw a complete game, one hit shut-out at the Dukes in August, 2021 to bring home the Championship trophy for Los Cubs. While the Cubs sipped bubbly throughout the off-season, the league (including the champagne-soaked Cubs) regrouped to put plans in motion for an expanded 2022 season.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2022?

After a Covid-shortened and -contracted 2021 season, Pancho Coimbre is back at full force and pleased to welcome three new teams into the fold — The Monarchs, Tigers, and Clippers. With the additions we are now at an optimal eight team league including incumbents The Dukes, Los Cubs, The Uptown Angels, The Downtown Bulls, and The Legends.

The 2022 season is quickly taking shape with a predicted 21 - 23 game schedule as well as an all-star and championship game at the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium in Coney Island.

We are dedicated to playing and promoting the game we love in the great City of New York so please don’t hesitate to get in touch and join us on this mission. And be sure to keep an eye out for us in Central Park’s North Meadows. We look forward to seeing you soon!

As always, check our Scores & Schedules for full recaps, stats, scores, and schedules!