20U Pirates lose 4 of 5 games but ex-Rams keep playing for love of game as aging boys of summer
July 3, 2024 at 11:27 p.m.
The aging Port Chester boys of summer are trying to turn back the clock as they start their fourth season as the 20U Pirates— and they are getting clocked.
They have lost four of their first five games in the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League—a disappointing start to the new summer season after they made the playoffs for the first time last year.
But they have learned the hard way that it doesn't matter whether they win or lose—the important thing is that they get to play the game.
Especially if they get to keep on playing the game they love for another summer no matter what happens.
Started from scratch
Which is to say the 20U Pirates almost didn't exist.
Because win or lose, it is a good deal for the Port Chester players to just be playing ball. The 20U squad is a team comprised of mostly ex-Port Chester Rams varsity baseball players who had aged out of the Port Chester Youth Baseball League (PCYBL) yet wanted to continue playing ball while off from college or in the workforce.
And they are doing just that under various names because they started out in the PCYBL as up-and-coming young Pirates, aged out of the PCYBL during their final 12U season, mostly made the Port Chester High School varsity as Rams, graduated and were in a baseball limbo because there was no organized baseball league in Port Chester for college-aged players.
Cut through red tape
Until ex-Ram infielder A.J. Marini, who once hit a legendary home run over the newly-installed left field fence with two outs, two strikes and two runners on base to beat White Plains in a game the Rams had to win to make the playoffs, decided to start a new 20U age-group team. He did so with the help of a few powerful older friends—elder statesman Bob Vyskocil, president of the PCYBL, and Joe Durney, former Port Chester athletic director, veteran coach, college prof, former Port Chester deputy superintendent of schools and an educator with more than 40 years of experience. They helped Marini cut through the bureaucratic red tape.
Vyskocil helped with the insurance that allowed the team to play under the PCYBL banner. Dr. Durney helped them get permission to play on the Port Chester High School and Rec Field. And Marini recruited a team comprised of mostly ex-Rams through the grapevine.
Debut as Sawpit Cardinals
They played their first season as the Sawpit Cardinals, a tribute to Port Chester's seafaring past. But at season's end, they decided that it didn't make sense to continue playing under the Sawpit Cards name because most of the players had learned to play the game as PCYBL Pirates. So once again they decided to play as the PCYBL Pirates, albeit on a 20U level, the first local team to extend the age group level beyond the low teens.
That's the back story of the ex-Rams who refuse to fade away.
The latest chapter features a roster that reads like a Who's Who of former Rams who want to continue to play the game they love.
The current Pirates
The roster includes player-manager AJ Marini, who went from the Rams to Salem University in Kentucky on a baseball scholarship, transferred to Mitchell College in New London, Conn., to play closer to home, graduated and now attends SUNY Cortland where he is working on his master's and plans to play club baseball, and RJ Thalheimer, who started in football and baseball, (pitcher/catcher/infielder), currently attends Washington and Lee and is the son of legendary Ram player and PCYBL coach known locally as Bobby Thal. And AJ's kid bro Matt who also attends SUNY Cortland, is a former Ram All-Star infielder like his big bro and will play collegiate club ball after switching from Mitchell.
Other key players include infielder/catcher James Moore (Ole Miss), infielder Nick Dorazio (who switched from Russell Sage upstate to Cortland), pitcher/infielder/outfielder Tony Roman (coaching The Clippers locally and working) and infielder/outfielder Gavin LaDore (University of Maryland).
Then there is ex-Ram teammates Tyler Heckel (Villanova, former All-League shortstop) and catcher Sebastian Alvarez and outfielder Michael Gianfransico (both Cortland). Kevin Francella (Williams by way of Rye Country Day) gives them another solid infielder.
More depth comes from outfielder/infielder Joe Salerno (SUNY Purchase), infielder/pitcher Michael DeCrescenzo (Westchester Community College and former triple threat who tied with Colin Taylor as Port Chester's best male athlete (football, basketball, baseball) and ex-Ram linebacker/catcher Joe Rinello now trying his hand at pitching on a staff that needs all the help it can get.
Staff stretched thin
The bulk of the pitching workload is being carried by Denis Garcia (transferred from Empire College to Mercy), Jack Mutino (who switched from Utica to Westchester Community College) and Mike Kessler, the pitcher/outfielder who graduated from CCNY and may be the most famous of them all because he emerged from a scramble with the ball Aaron Judge hit for his historic 60th home run into the left field bleachers at Yankee Stadium Sept. 20, 2022 that tied Babe Ruth for the most home runs ever hit by a Yankee during Judge's record-breaking season. Kessler decided to simply give the ball to Judge after the game because it was the right thing to do even though it could probably have been auctioned off for an estimated $100,000.
All those names add up to a lot of talent despite early season losses to teams like the Black Hawks twice by scores of 6-4 and 10-8, the EC Cardinals (6-2) and the Jumbo Shrimp (12-9) with the lone win coming against the Academy Hawks by a score of 5-4 with Alvarez coming through with a 3-2 pitch walk-off winning walk after AJ Marini led off with a double followed by intentional walks to DeCrescenzo and Thalheimer loaded the bases. Mutino and closer Roman gave the Rams one of their best pitching outings of the season. And Kessler gave the Pirates strong relief as the closer in the loss to the Jumbo Shrimp.
Eyes on a comeback
There were other highlights: In the opening loss to the Black Hawks, for example, the side arming Garcia pitched a strong game and AJ Marini homered., Salerno went three for four and Heckel two for three. Matt Marini went two for three and Thalheimer closed with a strong relief effort in the game 2 loss to the Cardinals. Salerno and Matt Marini both had two base hits and everyone else in the lineup had one in the loss to the Back Hawks in game three.
So, all in all, the Pirates look capable of making a comeback in the league standings if their pitching comes around.
The next two home games could give a clue as to whether that can happen with the Pirates going up against the Connecticut Flamingoes Saturday (7/6) at Rec Park at 4 p.m. and the Kent White Sox Monday (7/8) at 6 p.m. at Pergamo Field at Port Chester High School. A couple of wins could help turn around the season. And the Pirates will be aiming to do just that.
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