HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Hagerstown Flying Boxcars put the finishing touches Sunday on the biggest one-year turnaround in Atlantic League history.
The Boxcars closed the regular season with a 3-0 victory over the Lancaster Stormers at Meritus Park, finishing 67-59 — a remarkable 36-win improvement from their 31-95 record a year ago.
And now comes the part they’ve been preparing for as they turn their attention to the North Division Championship Series against second-half champion Long Island. The best-of-five series begins Tuesday on the road.
“Looking back, I probably won’t, until the season’s over, really take in how much progress we’ve had here,” first-year Boxcars manager Mark Minicozzi said. “I mean, it is awesome. Breaking the record of biggest turnaround in a single season in league history, it is awesome.
“Coming in here, we wanted to change the culture, change the expectations. Our goal was to get to the playoffs and compete for a championship, and we’re there. We’re here.”
The Boxcars secured their postseason berth by going 41-22 and winning the North Division first-half championship. They weren’t nearly as successful in the second half, finishing 26-37, but their postseason position allowed Minicozzi to manage with September in mind.
That became particularly true over the final few weeks.
“We got a good chance the last three weeks to put guys in certain situations to see how they react,” Minicozzi said. “How we managed, how we made decisions for the lineup, how we made decisions in the bullpen, wasn’t really necessarily dictated on winning that day.
“It was to say, ‘Hey, let’s see this guy in a role, in this pressure situation, and just see who can handle certain situations and where we need to go.’”
The Boxcars still finished with some momentum, winning six of their final 10 games, while Minicozzi was careful not to overwork his players.
“Over the last week, we gave certain position players rest here and there,” he said. “Pitchers — no one’s thrown back-to-back days. No one got overextended. So we go in fresh.”
Long Island didn’t have that luxury. The Ducks had to battle down the stretch to win the second-half championship and secure their postseason berth.
“They’ve had to play the last two weeks of basically, you know, throw all your arms to win every single game,” Minicozzi said. “So I feel like it gives us a little advantage.”
The Boxcars’ turnaround came despite some significant injuries.
Catcher Alex Isola, Hagerstown’s only Atlantic League Midseason All-Star, hasn’t played since Aug. 6 because of a foot injury and will miss the postseason. He was batting .284 with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs.
“We anticipated him being back about two weeks ago, and we had an unfortunate setback in the rehab,” Minicozzi said. “So he’s done for the year. But, hey, we’re here.”
Starting pitcher Connor Curlis also missed more than two months, from June 11 to Aug. 23. He finished the regular season with 72 strikeouts in 57 innings over 12 starts and a 3.95 ERA.
While the Boxcars lost their lone Midseason All-Star, several others emerged with standout seasons, none more so than Jared Carr, who has deep local roots.
The former Saint James and Shepherd University standout, who now lives with his family in nearby Martinsburg, was named the Boxcars’ Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Carr batted .288 with 19 home runs and 130 hits. He led the Atlantic League with 130 runs, tied for the league lead with six triples and ranked second with 71 stolen bases.
“Incredible year,” Minicozzi said. “Career highs in almost all offensive categories. Didn’t make an error the entire year in center field. I mean, he’s our MVP. He has played incredibly well.
“As a hometown guy, it’s awesome. Pretty cool to come here and perform at the level he has.”
Darick Hall was named Hagerstown’s Offensive Player of the Year after batting .303 with 15 home runs and 98 RBIs. Robert Brooks supplied additional power, leading the Boxcars with 23 home runs while driving in 84 runs.
Clay Helvey was named the team’s Pitcher of the Year after striking out 78 batters in 56 2/3 innings and leading the Atlantic League with 16 saves.
Helvey picked up his 16th save Sunday with a scoreless ninth inning, putting the finishing touches on Hagerstown’s 3-0 shutout — and on a regular season that looked nothing like the one that preceded it.
Now the Boxcars get to see how far that turnaround can take them.
Long Island will host Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Championship Series on Tuesday and Wednesday. The series shifts to Meritus Park for Game 3 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Games 4 and 5, if necessary, will be played in Hagerstown on Saturday and Sunday.
The winner advances to the Atlantic League Championship Series.
