2012 SFL Season Ends, 2013 Begins

A strange game was played on December 15, where Havelock Hewes pitched for both teams, and won. And lost. On December 23, Hewes beat Freddie Melendez 27-25 in an offense-heavy game at Dyckman. Sam Melendez cranked 3 home runs and drove in 11 runs against his brother. I wonder if Freddie got him anything for Christmas.

SFL's 2012 season was a record-breaker. 105 games were played, due to an unusually mild winter and early spring. SFL batters came to the plate a record 7516 times, and scored 1647 runs on 2580 hits. Many individual records fell by the wayside. Sam Melendez scored 161 runs, got 197 hits, and batted 443 times, setting records in all three categories. After 29 seasons of no one driving in 100 runs, three players did. Eric Schulman drove in a record 147 runs (helped by 62 extra base hits and 22 sacrifice flies), Cid Rivera drove in 108 runs, and Freddie Melendez drove in 105. Cid also had 59 doubles, shattering his previous record of 36. Ian Parfrey won his third consecutive batting title at .514, and Marvin Cohen won his first pennant, winning 54 of the 89 games he appeared in.

Remember, our default setting from Christmas until Easter is "no game." When the weather, and player demand, are strong enough, we will play, and it will be announced here, as well as via facebook and email. The location until further notice will be the Dyckman fields.

There will be a winter meeting as always, date and time to be determined.

Games of December 2

Hewes 6, Sulyman 2
Havelock Hewes allowed 6 hits, and threw 6.1 shutout innings, and Ian Parfrey broke the game open with a 2-run triple in the third inning.

Melendez 12, Rosengard 2
Freddie Melendez was equally sharp in picking up his 20th win, and his team broke a 2-2 tie by scoring 8 runs in the 5th inning. Adam Garcia hit a 2-run HR, and Cid Rivera was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI.

Games of November 25

Hewes 5, Martinez 2
Havelock Hewes scattered 6 hits, and allowed no runs over the last 6.1 innings, for his 18th win. Eric Schulman's 3rd inning base hit was the 6,922nd plate appearance of the 2012 season-- a new record.

Melendez 11, Nilva 3
Mike Sulyman was 5-for-5, Alex Rivera hit his 18th HR, and Sam Magnus was 4-for-5 with 2 RBI as Freddie Melendez allowed 3 runs (none earned) on 8 hits for his 19th win.

Games of November 18

Hewes 11, Melendez 3
Sam Magnus drove in 4 runs with a pair of triples, and Ian Parfrey and Zach Nilva had 3 hits each. Havelock Hewes allowed 3 runs on 10 hits.

Martinez 11, Nilva 0
Freddie Melendez was 3-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI, and Alex Rivera and Chris Hall each added 3 hits. Derek Martinez threw a shutout, allowing only 5 hits, and striking out three.

Games of 10/21

Hewes 8, Rosengard 5
Ian Parfrey's 2-out, 2-run single broke a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the 5th, and Alex Rivera homered and drove in three.

Martinez 4, Nilva 3
Freddie Melendez hit the tiebreaking single in the 5th inning, as Derek Martinez allowed 3 runs on 6 hits for the win. Zach Nilva was just as good, allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits.

F.Melendez 4, S.Melendez 1
In a very rare instance of brothers pitching against each other, Freddie Melendez picked up his 17th win and allowed only 2 hits in 5 innings. Sam Melendez allowed 3 runs in the 1st, with Chris Hall's 2-run single being the big blow.

The Lost Boxscores of SFL

Like The Lost Engines of Roanoke, the lost boxscores of SFL were eventually found. They were hidden in one of my books for my fall league, and here they finally are:

Hewes 10, Melendez 5
Ian Parfrey was 4-for-4 with 4 runs scored, a double, and 2 RBI, to lead Hewes's team. Bob Holzwasser had 3 hits for Melendez's squad.

Lawrence 8, Nilva 4
Cid Rivera's 3-run HR in the 5th inning broke a 4-4 tie.

Appell 9, Connor / Hewes 9 (5-inning tie)
Eric Schulman (3-for-4, 4 RBI) hit a 2-out, 2-run double to tie the game for Appell's team. Cid Rivera was 4-for-4 with a HR and 5 RBI for the Connor / Hewes team.

Games of 10/7

Hewes 14, Parfrey 8
Hewes's team scored 7 times in the 6th inning to blow open a one-run game. Cid Rivera homered and drove in 5 runs, Eric Schulman was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Bob Holzwasser had 3 hits. Chris Hall was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI for Parfrey's team.

O'Connor 9, Nilva 6
O'Connor's team scored 5 times in the 5th inning to erase a 5-4 deficit. Nilva's defense committed 5 errors and allowed 7 unearned runs.

Games of Sept 2

Parfrey 7, Hewes 2
Parfrey's team struck for 6 first inning runs, capped by a 2-run HR by Sam Magnus. Cid Rivera also homered, and Ian Parfrey escaped 5 bases-loaded jams and scattered 14 hits for the win.

Melendez 9, Nilva 7
Again, Sam Magnus capped a first inning rally with a HR, this time a 3-run shot. Eric Schulman was 3-for-3 with 4 RBI, and Ian Parfrey also had 3 hits. Matt Mishkin homered and drove in 2 runs for Nilva's team.

Lawrence / O'Connor 7, Rosengard 6
Glen Lawrence pitched 4 scoreless innings of relief for the win in a back-and-forth battle. Freddie Melendez drove in Cid Rivera with a 2-out single in the 5th inning for the win. Victor Waldron hit a 3-run HR for Rosengard's team.

Games of August 26

Hewes 2, Appell 1
Havelock Hewes picked up his 500th win by pitching a 2-hitter. All he needed was a botched rundown involving Cid Rivera, and an outfield miscommunication that allowed Freddie Melendez's 6th inning 2-run single to drop in.

Melendez 3, Parfrey 1 (8 innings)
Sam Magnus's single tied the game in the bottom of the 7th, but an RBI single by Fred Lang and a sac fly by Glen Lawrence won it in the top of the 8th.

Lawrence 11, Rosengard 6
The bats finally woke up for the third game. Rosengard's team led 5-0 in the third inning, but Eric Schulman's 19th sac fly of the year was the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 5th. Schulman was 2-for-3 with 5 RBI, and Glen Lawrence was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. Cid Rivera hit a 3-run HR for Rosengard's team.

Game of August 23

Rosengard 3, Connor 2
Rosengard's team scored three times in the second inning, around a triple by Sam Magnus (3-for-3). Cid Rivera threw out the tying run at home plate to end the game. Dave Rosengard allowed 2 runs on 11 hits, and Tony Connor allowed 3 runs on 6 hits.

Games of June 10

It took me a long time to find this scorebook, but here it is:

Hewes 10, Melendez 0
Havelock Hewes's Mets crushed Freddie Melendez's Yankees, behind a 4-for-4, 3 RBI performance from Eric Schulman. Hewes allowed 5 hits, and had two successful squeeze bunts. Too bad the real Mets didn't play like this.

Nilva 14, Appell 5
Alex Rivera homered and drove in 5 runs, and Ben Indek had 4 hits, as the Yankees, with most of the same players, got their revenge.

Games of Memorial Day Weekend

Sorry I'm running a little behind here. We played a single 9-inning game on Sunday at Dewitt Clinton (due to a brief 7:30am downpour at Heckscher), and another Monday afternoon at the Great Lawn.

Martinez 16, O'Connor 12
Alex Rivera was 6-for-8 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI, then nearly gave it all back with a rocky relief outing for winning pitcher Derek Martinez (1-2). Derek also went 5-for-8 with 3 RBI. Ian Parfrey was 5-for-7 with a HR and 4 RBI for O'Connor's team.

Appell 18, Parfrey 6
Appell's team put up 8 runs in the first inning and never looked back. Alex Rivera had another great game at the plate, going 5-for-6 with 3 RBI.

Games of May 13

Melendez 15, Parfrey 6
Eric Schulman homered and drove in 5 runs, Freddie Melendez was 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, and Ben Indek was 4-for-5 with 5 runs scored. Alex Rivera homered and drove in 4 for Parfrey's team.

Nilva 6, Hewes 2
Courageously pitching with a broken finger on his pitching hand, Havelock Hewes gave up a tiebreaking single to Fred Lang in the 4th inning. Zach Nilva scattered 13 hits and backed his pitching with a 2-run HR. Hewes is expected to miss 1 to 3 months.

Games of May 6

Hewes 8, Parfrey 5
Fred Lang and Sam Magnus each had 3 hits, as Hewes's team broke a 4-4 tie by scoring 4 runs in the 4th. Alex Rivera homered for Parfrey's team.

Lawrence 13, O'Connor 2
Glen Lawrence (2-0) scattered 8 hits and was backed by Alex Rivera (4-for-5, HR, 4 RBI). Sam Melendez homered for O'Connor's team.

Opening Day-- Games of 4/8

Parfrey 17, Hewes 4
Ian Parfrey backed his pitching with 4 hits, Don Weiss also had 4 hits, and Alex "Cid" Rivera drove in 5 runs. Parfrey's team scored 9 times in the 2nd inning to blow the doors off of this one.

Nilva 12, Melendez 4
Zach Nilva scattered 9 hits for the win, Sam Melendez was 3-for-4 with a grand slam, and Bob Holzwasser also homered in his return to SFL after missing all of 2011. Freddie Melendez was victimized by his defense-- only one of the 12 runs was earned. Eric Schulman was 3-for-3 with 2 RBI.

Lawrence 4, Connor 3
Glen Lawrence picked up the win and hit the winning sac fly to score Alex Rivera.

Awards and Results of Winter Meeting

Awards

Gold Gloves:
Pitcher-- Ian Parfrey
Catcher-- Josh Balsam
First Base-- Sal Cipriano
Second Base-- Ben Indek
Third Base-- Freddy Melendez
Shortstop-- (tie) Ian Parfrey and Phil Ciccone
Outfield-- Zach Nilva, Alex Rivera, Eric Schulman, Brian Hernandez

Best Pitcher-- Freddy Melendez
Rookie of the Year-- Sam Melendez
MVP-- Alex Rivera


Rule Changes:

1. When there are 22 players at a game, it is closed to
non-duespayers. Dues payers have a right to play no matter how large
the teams are. This rule takes effect when we move to Heckscher.
Non-duespayers cannot be displaced from a game they are already in,
and have the option of paying on the spot.

2. Due to the rising cost of permits, the league has raised annual dues to $40.

3. The league has banned alcoholic beverages at the games. Any
player drinking during a game will be subject to immediate ejection
and possible additional penalties.

4. The league has decided that outfielders will be required to play a
certain distance (to be determined) behind the infield basepaths.
This distance will be marked with a small orange cone on each foul
line. This is to discourage (but not eliminate) throws to first from
the outfield, and will eliminate the possibility of turning a double
play through the centerfielder.

5. A grievance committee has been elected for one year. Members are
Josh Balsam, Zach Nilva, and Alex Rivera.

6. Selection of pitchers-- Havelock, or whoever is making teams in
his rare absences, cannot tell a manager who to pitch. Regular
pitchers should not act as managers, unless no one else present is
willing to. It is hoped that this will result in an equitable
distribution of pitching innings.

There are two other items which will soon be presented to the league
for voting, as there was not a 2/3 majority at the meeting.

Thanks to Anne Atkinson and Gil Schmerler for hosting.

Games of February 18

Melendez 8, Hewes 6
Alex Rivera (3 for 4) hit a 3-run HR in the top of the 7th for the win.

Garcia 18, Parfrey 13
Adam Garcia picked up the win despite walking 15 batters in 5 innings. He was also 3-for-3 with a HR and 5 RBI. Alex Rivera was 4-for-5 with a HR and 3 RBI.

Games of Dec 11

Hewes 11, Nilva 9
Havelock Hewes won his 20th, settling in after a rocky start. Sam Melendez was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Sal Cipriano and Sam Magnus each added 3 hits. Bobby Echevarria had 4 hits for Nilva's team.

Velez 15, Melendez 6
Cisco Velez won his SFL pitching debut, backed by the bats of Sam Melendez (3-for-5, 4 RBI) and Sal Cipriano (3-for-3, 3 RBI). Alex Rivera hit his 21st HR, and broke last year's alltime RBI record-- Cid now has 94.

Games of Dec 4

Magnus / Hewes 19, O'Connor 11
The ball was flying out of MS 141 this Sunday. O'Connor allowed 9 runs in the first, including 3 2-run HR's. The game settled down after that, and O'Connor's team closed to within 13-10 at one point. Alex Rivera led the offense by going 4-for-4 with 2 HR's (#19 and 20) and 4 RBI. Sam Magnus also homered twice with 4 RBI, and Eric Schulman homered and drove in 3 runs. Mike Sulyman added 3 hits, and Havelock Hewes had 3 hits and pitched an effective 3-inning save. Bobby Echevarria homered twice for O'Connor's team, and Sal Cipriano was 3-for-3 with 3 doubles.

Melendez 9, Garcia 8
Freddie Melendez (18-10) took a 7-3 lead into the 6th inning, but Garcia's team rallied-- Eric Schulman hit a tying 2-run single, and Rich Rowlands brought in the go-ahead run with a flare down the RF line. Garcia seemed to be on his way to a win, but Josh Balsam reached on an error with one out, and Havelock Hewes walked. Both came around to score on walk-on Nick Bressers' 2-out, 2-run double to center. Melendez retired the side in order in the bottom of the 7th for the win. Sam Magnus homered twice more, and drove in 4 runs.

Rosengard 9, Sulyman 3
Dave Rosengard picked up his 3rd straight win, baffling his opponents with offspeed pitches. He was backed by the hitting of Ian Parfrey (3-for-4, 3 RBI), Cisco Velez (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Eric Schulman, who homered and drove in 3.

This weekend also featured appearances by Larry Savell (2-for-3), Bill Vernick and Bill Weinberg (both DNP), and Ian Parfrey broke Zach Nilva's 1-year old hit record, and now has 155 hits on the year, most of them singles to right.

Games and Notes of Nov 27

We will be at MS 141 in Riverdale next Sunday. The field is on Hudson Manor Terrace between 236th and 237th Streets. Game time is 10:00am and the weather looks playable.

Due to an enormous surplus of players, we played two simultaneous games, and then the winners faced the winners, the losers faced the losers, and anyone who wanted to stick around after that played again. Unfortunately, Paul Geoghan dislocated his thumb in the first inning of the first round. Speedy recovery, Paul!

Round 1
Rosengard 7, Hewes 6
Andy Atkinson's sac fly scored Joe Geller in the bottom of the 7th to give Rosengard the come from behind win. Atkinson was 3-for-4, and Alex Rivera drove in 4 runs. For Hewes's team, Eric Schulman and Ray Hernandez were each 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Rosengard's team trailed 6-3 in the 6th inning.

Nilva 12, O'Connor 11 (8 innings)
Cisco Velez's sac fly broke a 9-9 tie in the 8th inning, and Nilva stranded the tying run at third in the bottom of the inning. Bobby Echevarria and Zach Nilva had 4 hits, and Sam Magnus was 3-for-5 with 5 RBI. For O'Connor's team, Freddie Melendez was 3-for-5 with 4 RBI, and Bill McLaughlin and Ian Parfrey added 3 hits each.

Round 2
Rosengard 7, C.Magnus 6 (8 innings)
Alex Rivera hit a walkoff double with 2 outs in the 8th to give Rosengard his second win of the day. Magnus's team came back from a 6-2 deficit only to lose in extra innings. Sam Magnus had 3 RBI.

Melendez 7, Connor 1
Freddie Melendez improved to 17-10 with a dominating pitching performance in the consolation game. He allowed 5 hits, an unearned run, and struck out 2.

Game 5
Hewes 8, Parfrey 4
Backed by his own 3 hits, Havelock won his 19th game. Chris Pun added 4 hits. Bill McLaughlin homered and Ray Hernandez was 3-for-3 in a losing effort.