Daryl Thompson (L, 2-6), the hometown hero, the man named by the Crustacean Nation faithful as the greatest Blue Crab of all time this past offseason further proved his case for that title as he climbed the leaderboards of the Atlantic League’s history on Wednesday evening. Thompson moved into fifth place in league history in innings pitched (859.2) but despite the incredible achievement, the Blue Crabs fell to the New Britain Bees by a final count of 5-1.
The Bees jumped on top early in the ballgame with a run in the top of the first that the Blue Crabs matched in the bottom of the inning. A quartet of New Britain runs in the top of the second inning were the final runs to be scored in the entirety of the contest, as the Bees early offense followed by a stellar rebound from Thompson would be the precursor to a swift game that was commanded by pitching and tremendous defense. The left-hander, Christian Friedrich (W, 4-1) tossed a nine-inning complete game for New Britain while heeding just five Blue Crabs hits in route to a victory.
In the top of the second inning this evening Thompson induced a Logan Moore flyout to right field to move into fifth place in Atlantic League history in innings pitched. The right-hander achieved the feat at Regency Furniture Stadium, just under five miles away from the school he was originally drafted out of in 2003, La Plata High School.
In his eighth season in Southern Maryland, Thompson, one of two La Plata alumni to have played in the MLB struggled in the early going, but the takeaway from the game was the widespread respect for Thompson’s craft. In his 17th season of professional baseball, the Blue Crabs’ ace continues to produce at an incredible level, having earned a quality start in 61 of his last 82 outings dating back to the beginning of the 2015 season. There was a moment of recognition for Daryl right after the spectacular moment, as the Blue Crabs acknowledged one of the greatest individuals both on and off of the playing field to ever come out of Southern Maryland.
The Blue Crabs will return home tomorrow, June 13th for the final game of an eight game homes stand for a game against the New Britain Bees with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch.
Be sure to vote your Blue Crabs to the 2019 Atlantic League All-Star Game, just click: www.atlanticleague.com/allstarvoting
About the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
The Blue Crabs play 140 regular season games in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs. The Blue Crabs call Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland home. The 12th franchise season will begin April 2019. For more information on the SOMD Blue Crabs, please call 301-638-9788 or visit http://www.somdbluecrabs.com for more information.
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history.
For more information, please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.
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