There is a respite for suffering New York Met baseball fans suffering through a torturous summer of crushed expectations and horrid baseball. Desperate and disheartened Met fans looking for a tonic, escape, or perhaps a sliver of hope should plan an outing to Binghamton to catch the Rumble Ponies. The Ponies have won seven straight games and have been playing .793 baseball over their last 29 games (23-6). If you dare say it, the Rumble Ponies are downright Dodgeresque.

Yesterday at NYSEG Stadium, the Rumble Ponies completed a double header and four games sweep of the Portland Sea Dogs. The first game was an extra inning 1-0 game delayed by a torrential downpour on Saturday night.  Outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski was the hero in the opener lacing a double into the right field corner allowing Luis Guillorme to score all the way from first base with the game winner. The Rumble Ponies 1-0 victory was their second win by that score in the four game sweep.

In the second half of of the double headers, the Rumble Ponies had their backs against the wall trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh (Eastern League double header games are seven innings not nine). Portland manager Carlos Febles was pulling all the stops in an attempt to avoid the sweep using his almost unhittable closer, Bobby Poyner in what he hoped would be a 5-out save. Poyner took the mound in the final frame having worked 33.2 innings on the season allowing just a lone earned run. Over that span, Poyner had allowed just 13 hits walking 5 while striking out 41.

Once again the tandem of Guillorme and Kaczmarski played big roles in the late game Rumble Pony late-inning heroics. With one out Guillorme worked a walk, and Kaczmarski sliced a line drive single to right field moving Guillorme to second. First baseman Matt Oberste singled to center scoring Guillorme and moving Kaczmarski to third.  Third baseman David Thompson hit a soft tapper that just past Poyner giving the second baseman with just the play at first. This allowed Kaczmarski to race home to tie the game and allowing Oberste to move into scoring position with just one out in the inning.  Left-fielder Kevin Taylor hit a soft flair inside the right field line to score Oberste with the game winner.

With this run, and the Rumble Ponies 75-50 record, it causes one to inquire why the Rumble Ponies are succeeding.  More questions are raised when you consider that other than catcher Patrick Mazeika, who just joined the team, the team doesn’t have a single batter hitting .300. Moreoever, the Rumble Ponies lack a power game hitting only 58 home runs on the season, which are the fewest in the Eastern League. The team is also fourth to last in doubles, last in triples, last in extra-base hits, and yes, last in slugging percentage.

When I posed the question over what is driving the Rumble Ponies success to Kaczmarski and Thompson in recent Tip-Off radio interviews, both cited the Ponies strong defensive play and solid pitching. There is a lot to this claim.

The Rumble Pony staff is second in the league in team ERA at 3.31 behind the vaunted Trenton staff at 2.90.  When it comes to allowing free passes, the pitchers are the stingiest walking the fewest batters of any team in the Eastern League. They have also allowed the second fewest hits in the league. When you combine those walk and hits allowed stats it’s no surprise the Binghamton staff has the second best WHIP at 1.25, trailing Trenton by .01 at 1.24. And, the Rumble Pony pitchers keep the ball in the yard, allowing the second fewest home runs in the league.  With the combination of pitchers have tossed 18 shutouts tied with Trenton for the league lead.

Interestingly, the Rumble Ponies didn’t blink when their pitching ace, Chris Flexen was elevated from Binghamton to Citi Field.  Flexen was 6-1 in 10 starts for Binghamton with a 1.66 ERA. Eastern League All Star game starter Corey Oswalt, winner in the second game of the twin bill, is 10-5 on the season with a league leading 2.41 ERA.  P.J. Conlon is a two-time Eastern League Pitcher of the Week and has won eight games.  Casey Delgado is tied with Oswalt for the second most win in the Eastern League (10).  Knuckle-baller Mickey Jannis rounds out the rotation win seven wins.

But, you don’t win games on pitching and defense alone. You need everyone on the team pulling together to help win games. It should come as no surprise both Kaczmarksi and Thompson also lauded team chemistry.  Kaczmarski explained this group of Rumble Ponies is close both on and off the field. As Kaczmarski put it, playing in Binghamton this summer has been a lot more like playing for his college team than playing professionally.  Thompson spoke of a shared load on the Ponies, the ability of a different Binghamton player to rise to the occasion almost everyday spearheading a Rumble Pony victory.

Thompson’s claim is supported by the team’s RBI distribution: Thompson 59, Oberste 57, Nido 56, Kaczmarski 46, Taylor 39, Guillorme 35, Champ Stuart 32.  Certainly, as Thompson notes, you can count on anyone in this lineup to deliver the clutch hit. But it’s more than RBI distribution. It’s the way the Rumble Ponies play baseball.

Simply put, this team manufactures runs by putting balls in play and putting runners on base. Binghamton leads the lead in base-on-balls and has the second highest Eastern League team on-base-percentage. The Rumble Ponies run the bases well, second in the league in stolen bases.  Kevin Taylor leads a tightly grouped pack of Pony batters hitting .291. After him is Guillorme at .289, Oberste at .287, Gustavo Nunez at .280, and Kaczmarski hitting .271. Overall, the Rumble Ponies play an enjoyable and winning style of baseball.

As if that wasn’t enough, this is a team of young players that gets it. The Rumble Ponies held a post game picnic for season ticket holders attended by the players. Kevin Taylor went table to table introducing himself to every fan, shaking each person’s hand and thanking them for their support of the team. It’s not hard to root for a kid like that. It’s hard not to root for a team like this.

So, Met fans if the 2017 season has left you feeling blue, paint yourself a Rumble Pony navy blue and silver and plan a trip to Binghamton to watch the Ponies. A field box ticket, a seat that makes you feel like you are on the field and part of the game, costs only $11.00. Heck you could get a room, eat at a nice restaurant and catch some Rumble Pony action for far less than it would cost of a single field level seat at Citi Field. Your sure to feel a whole lot better, too.

Binghamton opens their bid for an Eastern League title hosting Trenton Wednesday and Thursday nights September 6 and 7.