Yawkey Baseball League in transitional year, two teams out, two new applicants
By Jonathan Chang
With the Boston Red Sox standing near the top of Major League Baseball, Bostonians may be inclined to focus only on professional baseball. However, there are plenty of amateur leagues across all of Boston, and among them is the Yawkey Baseball League.
After three franchises departed from the league at the start of season, this season has been a transition year, league president Dave McKay said. Among the teams that left is the Somerville Alibrandis, which claimed eight straight consecutive league titles since 2010. The other departed teams are the South End Astros and the Malden Bulldogs.
For Somerville and Malden, the issue regarded travels as many players had to come from distance, McKay said. Both teams have since joined the Intercity Baseball League and have rebranded as the Alibrandi Baseball Club and the Malden Maddogs. South End had the players but were struggling managerially, McKay said.
There are now 10 teams in the Yawkey League, although there may be additions coming next season. Two teams—from Lynn and Boston—have applied for spots in the league, McKay said.
With Somerville out of the picture, last year’s runner-up Brighton Braves (13-2-0) have been dominant this season, leading the Ted Williams Division. Below the Braves are the South Boston Saints (11-5-1) and the Revere Rockies (11-4-0) from the Carl Yastrzemski Division.
While there are few outliers, McKay said the league’s parity has been good. “Any team can beat any (other) team on a given night,†he said.
An assembly of collegiate players, former high school stars, post-collegiate players and local amateurs, McKay said the Yawkey League stands as one of the top amateur leagues in Eastern Massachusetts. The Yawkey League All Stars were the winners of last season’s Eastern Massachusetts Amateur Baseball Classic.
“Our talent is on par or better than many of the other leagues in the area,†he said.
Others competing in the tournament are All Stars from the Intercity League, Cranberry Baseball League, and Boston Park League.
Revere Youth Baseball and Softball:
Minor League, AAA Baseball Championship on its way
By Jonathan Chang
After a long season, Revere Youth Baseball and Softball (RYBS) is finally approaching its championship rounds of the playoffs. This week, both the Minor League and AAA will compete for the crown in the best-of-three series.
In the Minor League, the White Sox and the Nationals will be competing in the best-of-three series for the crown. The two teams were the top teams during the season and took their momentum all the way through the playoffs. In their previous on May 21, Nationals dominated the White Sox, 14-6.
In AAA, pursuing the championship are the Brewers and Angels. The Brewers hold a 2-1 series lead during their three regular season matchups but by a cumulative scoring margin of one (18-17 cumulative score over three games).
On the softball side, the playoffs finally begin this week, with the Jets taking on the Jazz, and the Patriettes facing the Lightning. The Softball All Stars also took their shots this past weekend, when unfortunately both the 12U and 10U Softball All Stars failed to advance to the next round.
Rather than keeping their heads down, however, the programs are looking ahead, RYBS Vice President Jason Smith said. “The Sluggers will look to build off of their experience when they return next year,†he said.
After a strong start, 12U Baseball All Stars have now secured their place in the State Tournament. The 11U All Stars are looking to soon follow suit. The 9U and 10U teams, despite their efforts, were unable to advance past the District play.
Notes from RYBS VP Jason Smith:
“T-Ball: All of the teams got to play under the lights this weekend. Even though it was after some of their parents’ bed times, the kids all still had a blast.
Softball: Minor league softball had a combined game with all of the teams linking up to smack the big yellow orb around.â€