HAGERSTOWN, Md. — For the first two seasons of their existence, the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars spent most of the summer looking up in the Atlantic League standings.
This year, they’re looking toward a playoff berth.
The Boxcars overcame a three-run deficit Sunday at Meritus Park, beating the Lexington Legends 4-3 on Noah Smith’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the most successful homestand in franchise history.
Hagerstown took five of six games from Lexington and improved to 26-16, the third-best record in the 10-team Atlantic League.
More importantly, the Boxcars are one game behind the Lancaster Stormers in the North Division race. The winner of the first half earns a playoff berth.
“The product on the field has been phenomenal,” Boxcars general manager David Blenckstone said. “We’re right there with a couple other teams. The first half ends July 2. We play Lancaster the last three games of the first half at home. I’d be surprised if those three games don’t provide some indication of who’s going to win the first half.”
The turnaround has been dramatic for a franchise that finished with the league’s worst record in each of its first two seasons.
The Boxcars entered Sunday’s game already assured of a winning homestand before putting an exclamation point on it in front of an announced crowd of 4,119.
Smith, playing in just his third game with Hagerstown, drove in Cristhian Rodriguez from third with a sacrifice fly to right field to complete the comeback victory.
While the wins have attracted attention, so has the atmosphere surrounding the club.
The Boxcars are averaging 3,002 fans per home game, and Blenckstone said fans are responding to a winning product.
“Attendance is stronger this year than it was last year,” Blenckstone said. “There’s a whole different vibe with the fans, just their interaction with the game. They’re such great baseball fans in this area, so it’s nice for them to enjoy a winning product on the field.”
Hagerstown has received contributions throughout its roster.
Alex Isola leads the team with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs and is tied with Jared Carr for the team lead with 33 runs scored. Carr leads the club with 39 hits and 19 stolen bases, while Robert Brooks has added eight home runs and 31 RBIs.
On the mound, Connor Curlis is 2-1 with a 3.56 ERA and a team-high 56 strikeouts in 42 innings. Clay Helvey has emerged as one of the Atlantic League’s top relievers, posting a 4-1 record, four saves and 33 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. Alex Mack is also 4-1 out of the bullpen.
The Boxcars have accomplished all of this despite losing three key players to affiliated baseball last month. Pitchers Cole Roland and Connor O’Hara had their contracts purchased by the Texas Rangers, while infielder Jackson Hauge joined the New York Mets organization.
“That’s what this league is all about,” Blenckstone said. “Every team is going to lose some good players, and we’re no exception. It’s great for those guys individually. We’ve signed some new guys who’ve stepped in and done a really good job as well.
“Hopefully, we’ll continue to lose players and continue to win games. It is what it is. That’s what this league is all about. That’s kind of why it was founded 27 years ago. It’s just part of the deal. If you have a really good core group of players, you can sustain a couple key losses. If you have the foundation of a good roster, hopefully you can keep on winning.”
For now, the Boxcars have done exactly that.
After back-to-back last-place finishes, they find themselves in the thick of the first-half race.
