Stanley Strikes Out 15, Bears Roll

By Mark Krulish on June 1, 2008

NEWARK, NJ – There was lightning in the atmosphere over Newark which gave way to the stars visible in the evening sky by game’s end. However, on Saturday night at Riverfront Stadium, nothing was shining brighter than Patrick Stanley, who pitched one of the most dominating performances in Atlantic League history in a 7-1 win over the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Stanley went the distance for the Bears, impressively striking out 15 hitters along the way, setting a new club record and falling just one strikeout short of the Atlantic League record set by Ray Davis of the Somerset Patriots.

“I thought I kept a lot of pitches down tonight,” said Stanley. “The slider I felt was working great so that helped with the strikeouts and the fastball was staying down, I was able to force them to put the ball in play.”

Stanley’s family was also on hand tonight, making the performance even sweeter for him. The native of Lakewood, N.J. had a crowd of his parents, brothers and nephews and some friends as well at The Den to witness his pitching feat.

“It feels great, you know,” Stanley said. “I’m just glad to be here where my family can see me, I’ve always played far away, so it’s great they can come up and see me.”

Stanley had the Barnstormers off-balance all night long. He started off hot, fanning five batters in the first two innings and he had set down ten hitters on strikes at the end of five innings. Stanley then struck out one batter in each of the next three innings before ringing up two more in his final frame. He was still strong at the end of his 135-pitch night. His only real blemish was a solo home run he yielded in the third inning to Lancaster catcher Lance Burkhart.

The ever-reliable Bears offense provided plenty of run-support for Stanley to chase the record.

Newark picked up four runs in the bottom of the first. Val Majewski knocked in two runs with a long double to left-center field, and then Randall Simon plated two runs of his own by doubling off the 365 feet sign in right-center, missing a home run by just a few feet.

The Bears picked up one more run in the second inning on an RBI-single by Ramon Castro. Cory Aldridge further padded the lead with his Atlantic League-leading 32nd RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But, the night belonged to Stanley, whose performance also helped a bullpen that is a little short on arms due to injuries.

“We were just hoping for six or seven innings to ensure that our bullpen would be sharp for the next couple days,” said manager Wayne Krenchicki. “But a complete game and 15 strikeouts is just a huge lift for us.”

Indeed, spirits were high in the locker room after the game. The atmosphere was a lively one as all the Bears were offering their congratulations to Stanley. As reliever Rich Scalamandre headed off towards the shower he remarked “here’s the guy you want to talk to tonight,” while pointing towards the 6’7 right-hander. That really summed up the evening.

Notes: Newark’s previous record-holder was Brian Givens, who struck out 14 batters on July 2nd, 1998 against Somerset. Stanley’s complete game was the second of his career. His first came in 2006 while pitching for Washington in the Frontier League.

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