Cyclones Channel Houdini in Heart-Stopping Sweep

Harry Houdini was known to escape from everything.

It didn’t matter if it was a pair of handcuffs, a submerged straitjacket, or a buried coffin. Nothing could ensnare a man synonymous with magic.

But if you dressed Houdini in a Brooklyn uniform and put him on the mound during a recent late-game jam, even he would fail to match the Houdini acts this team has pulled off.

The Cyclones have proven to be the master escape artists of the New York-Penn League, squeaking out six one-run wins en route to a 7–5 start to the summer. For comparison, no other team in the league has won more than three games decided by one run.

Brooklyn’s latest feat took place over three nail-biting nights in Aberdeen, Md. The Cyclones made off with three victories — all by one run — in a series sweep of the IronBirds that vaulted Brooklyn back into a tie for first place atop the McNamara Division.

RHP Luis Silva masterminded Tuesday’s escape. As he and the Cyclones clung to a 7–6 lead with a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Aberdeen catcher Maverick Handley drove a ball to the right-field fence, but OF Zach Ashford made the catch as he crashed into the wall to secure the win.

That’s one.

The next day, Brooklyn entered extra innings for the first time in 2019 and exited with another nail-biting win. After the Cyclones took a 2–1 lead in the top of the 10th, OF Ranfy Adon made the play of the game in the bottom of the frame. With an IronBird on third and one out, he caught a fly ball in left-center and threw a strike to the plate for a game-winning double play.

There’s two.

For Brooklyn’s final act of the series, the team squeezed two heart-stopping escapes into one half-inning. With two IronBirds in scoring position in a tied ballgame in the 9th, RHP Brian Metoyer produced a bouncing ball through the middle, which ricocheted to 2B Luke Ritter. As the runner at third tried to score, Ritter threw home to start a rundown for the first out.

But that wasn’t all. After Aberdeen followed with a single to load the bases, Metoyer spun some more magic. He induced a lineout to Ritter, who flipped to second to double up the runner and send the game to extras. In the 10th, Brooklyn scored a run in the top-half and completed a relatively stress-free bottom-half to complete the sweep.

There’s no telling what’s in store this weekend for the Cyclones, who prepare to host the Lowell Spinners and their league-best 10–2 record.

But if Brooklyn continues its heart-pounding ways, it’ll be a weekend filled with more heart-stopping escapes would even make Houdini proud.

— Dom

Today’s Game: Brooklyn vs. Lowell, 7 p.m.
MCU Park, Brooklyn, NY
Probables: RHP Matt Cleveland (0–1, 6.14) vs. RHP Yasel Santana (0–1, 3.86)
Video: Facebook.com/BrooklynCyclones
Tickets: BrooklynCyclones.com/tickets