By Nate Shoemaker

East Division Final Preview: The Blue Sox Look to Spoil Amsterdam's Season

The stage is set for the East Division final as the Mohawks and Blue Sox escaped with narrow victories on Monday night. Utica faced the Mohawks this past Sunday with smaller stakes. Now the two teams' seasons come down to one game.

Amsterdam has had the upper hand against Utica, leading to an 8-0 record in the season series. The Blue Sox built some momentum after knocking the Stallions in a comeback 5-3 win. Utica is looking to become the first team other than the Stallions and Mohawks to win the East Division since 2017.

The Mohawks' success has been fueled by offense, resulting in their eighth straight 30 win season. In their three prior matchups, Amsterdam has scored over 15 runs in each game, showing their ability to overwhelm opposing teams.

The offense finished the season with over 500 hits and 100 extra-base hits. Amsterdam has no holes in their lineup, with 18 of their players hitting home runs this season. All 10 Mohawks starters are hitting above .300.

The Blue Sox team is powered by the middle of their order. Connor Jones, Jack Sweeney and Anthony Perritano each had an RBI in Utica’s first playoff win. The lineup has the second-highest number of hits in the PGCBL, with 426. 

The one weakness Amsterdam brings into this matchup is its bullpen, which Utica will look to expose. The Blue Sox have had seven comeback wins in the month of July. The Mohawks starters have been successful all season, but their bullpen has shown some inconsistency over the last couple of weeks.

The Blue Sox scored all five of their runs against the Stallions bullpen in the final three innings. Their hitters were prepared for the moment. Although the Mohawks bullpen has spoiled some games, their staff will have their best pitchers ready to go on Tuesday night.

Amsterdam only threw two pitchers, against the Outlaws. Grant Nicholson hurled five innings and Toby Peterson finished the night with four shutout innings. This allows the Mohawks to have all hands on deck for the East Division Final.

Amsterdam can lean on their ace Saxon Roberts or take a risk with their number two, Warren Miller. Either starter will be a big test for the Blue Sox lineup. Utica will likely have Vinny Sangataldo toe the rubber, who has posted a 2.36 ERA over 26 innings.

The Mohawks have dominated the season series, but all of their victories over the Blue Sox will get thrown out of the window at 6:45 tonight. Utica will look to pull off the upset, but they’ll need to find a way to slow down the PGCBL’s most dangerous offense.

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