A Strange Day in a Strange Game

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By Kayla Chadwick (Syracuse) - According to pitcher Erik Davis of the Syracuse Chiefs, strange things are common in minor league baseball - common enough that a game ending nearly a month after the first pitch was thrown didn't faze him for a minute.

"You’ve gotta be ready for anything," said Davis, who collected a save in the second game. "I’ve seen stuff from monkeys riding dogs... I’ve seen some crazy stuff, so this is way on the low scale.”

The evening's events might not qualify as "crazy" to Davis, but the schedule certainly wasn't normal. At 6pm, the Chiefs took the field at NBT Bank Stadium as the visiting team to finish a game that had been suspended in Pennsylvania nearly a month ago.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managed walk off with a win in the 13th inning overall, after just two innings played in Syracuse. Rail Riders' center fielder Melky Mesa scored the winning run on a single by shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, sending both teams back to their clubhouses.

The Chiefs didn't have to wait long for their chance at redemption, as the regularly scheduled game started thirty minutes after the RailRiders' walk-off victory.

Chiefs starter Yunesky Maya was excellent, allowing just two runs in eight innings before handing the ball off to Davis to close things out.

When asked about Maya's performance on the mound, Josh Johnson at first gave a one-word reaction, "Wow," before elaborating.

"Unbelievable job, the guy has got a high baseball IQ, he did a great job," Johnson said. "I mean, Maya’s been here before, he’s a veteran guy in our locker room, another great teammate. All I can say is outstanding job.”

Davis agreed, adding that Maya's efficiency and mound presence makes for quick games that are fun to watch.

"Maya was awesome," said Davis. "I love when Maya pitches, because he works fast, throws strikes. You know, he's always out there doing something funny - the guy runs off the mound, I think that's awesome."

With just under a month to go in the Triple-A season and the Chiefs in last place, it's unlikely that Syracuse will see playoff baseball this season. Still, according to Johnson, the players are working hard, and feeling better about recent performances.

"We have a good vibe in the clubhouse right now, a lot of momentum," Johnson said. "We just gotta keep it going. You know a game like this can really get the ball moving. We've been playing well, we swing the bats well on the road, we threw the ball well, we caught the ball - we did everything we needed to do. We’re fundamentally sound, you know, we just gotta keep it going.”

The Chiefs are 10 1/2 games out of the division lead, and have played sub-.500 baseball all season, but with 28 games left to play, a comeback wouldn't be impossible. After all, strange things happen all the time in minor league baseball.