Dominic Hamel, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies
As noted in our Eastern League Playoff Preview, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies had the starting pitching advantage against the Somerset Patriots. That advantage was evident in Game 1 of this series as the Rumble Ponies won 9-2. That win puts the Rumble Ponies one game away from the Eastern League Finals.
Coming off an injury, Christian Scott was limited to three innings. That’s when Reid Brignac went to another one of his starters, Luis Moreno, to close out the game and pick up the win. We saw the strength of the rotation on display, and now, the Rumble Ponies will turn to Dominic Hamel to pitch them to the finals.
Hamel, 24, was the New York Mets 2021 third round draft pick out of Dallas Baptist University. Currently, he is ranked as MMN‘s 14th-best prospect. That ranks him as the third-best starter on this Binghamton starting rotation.
Hamel has had recent successes and failures against the Patriots. He picked up the win on August 8 after allowing four earned over six innings to start the five-game set. In the final game of the series, Hamel took the loss after being knocked out in the fourth inning, allowing two earned.
Hamel is currently in what is probably his best stretch as a Mets minor leaguer. Since July 26, he has made nine starts, and he is 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA, 1.021 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, and an 11.4 K/9. On his last start of the season, he struck out eight and allowed just two hits over five scoreless.
Dominic Hamel Pitched 5 Shutout Innings with 8 K’s last night! 🇵🇷
Dom is putting the finishing touches on a strong season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies as he’s posted an 8-6 record with a 3.85 ERA & 160 K’s in 124 innings pitched on the year. pic.twitter.com/rCAZee8m1Q
— JB (@jibaroball) September 17, 2023
We have seen dominant flashes from Hamel where the Rumble Ponies can be confident with him taking the mound. At the moment, the offense was dominant in Game 1 of this series, and it was kicked off with Jeremiah Jackson having a phenomenal game highlighted by a fourth inning homer to spark the offense.
Jeremiah Jackson has tied Game 1 of the series for Double-A Binghamton with a solo homer.
Jackson now has 8 home runs in 38 games since coming to the Mets from the Angels for Dominic Leone.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) September 19, 2023
Since joining the Mets organization, Jackson has hit seven home runs. Three of those homers have come against the Patriots.
Jackson was not the only Rumble Pony to homer in that game. Jett Williams would hit his first career Double-A homer in the game. That three-run homer put the Rumble Ponies up big in the fourth, and the team never looked back.
JT Schwartz continued his strong season for the Rumble Ponies, going 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. Rowdey Jordan, an important bat for the Rumble Ponies all season, was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
The seven runs were all the more impressive considering Luisangel Acuña and Drew Gilbert, arguably the Mets top two prospects, went hitless. For Gilbert, that has been an anomaly since joining the Mets organization. Concerning Acuña, it will be interesting to see if he plays in Game 2 after leaving Game 1 due to his being hit in the face with a pitch.
Currently, the Rumble Ponies have one of their best pitchers on the mound, and he is pitching the best he ever has. The offense was on fire to start the series. That puts them in a good position to win and advance to the finals, where they hope to win Binghamton’s first Eastern League title since 2014.
