Cory Willey Celebrates Championship

Cory Willey celebrates Clearwater's FSL Championship and discusses his baseball future in this article by Richard Midcap that was written for The Daily Banner and posted on NewsZap.com.

Former Thresher Kyle Kendrick focus of Philly Inquirer story

Former Thresher Kyle Kendrick is the focus of this story from Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, Jim Salisbury.

In the story, Salisbury describes Kendrick's decision to play professional baseball instead of being a quarterback at a major college football program like Washington State. Kendrick could have been in the same class of QBs as Dennis Dixon (Oregon), Colt Brennan (Hawaii), and Brian Brohm (Louisville). Instead, he's now pitching in the thick of the playoff race and shooting for his 10th win of the season tonight against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are starting future Hall of Famer John Smoltz.

Throughout the story, Salisbury describes Kendrick's path to the big leagues including a decision made by Kendrick while he was a member of the Clearwater Threshers that may have led to his current success on the big league mound.

Read Jim Salisbury's whole column here.

Updated at 2:50pm: Kendrick will be signing autographs at the first Phillies “All-Star Ladies Night” pre-game party at Citizens Bank Park. The event is set for tomorrow (Friday). For more information or to order tickets visit www.phillies.com/allstarladiesnight.

Updated at 10:50am on 9/28/07: The Phillies are now tied with the Mets on top of the division as Kendrick picked up his 10th win of the season. He now leads all NL rookies in wins and has a 7-1 record at home.

Poll Question: Who is your 2007 Threshers Starting Pitcher of the Year?

The current Poll Question on the Official Site asks, "Who is your 2007 Threshers Starting Pitcher of the Year?"

The three choices are:

(1) Andrew Carpenter
(2) Carlos Carrasco
(3) Josh Outman

Andrew Carpenter - Led the Florida State League in wins with 17.

Carlos Carrasco - His WHIP (Walks-Hits Per Innings Pitched) of 1.02 led Threshers starters.

Josh Outman - Led the FSL with a 2.45 ERA.

Who would you pick? Vote now on the Official Site and talk about your choice in the comments section under this post.

Former Thresher Mike Zagurksi wins 2007 Paul Owens Award

Former Thresher Mike Zagurski has won the Paul Owens Award for best pitcher in the Phillies minor league system in 2007.

Zagurski started the season in Clearwater and made 12 appearances for the Threshers as a reliever. He struck out 30 in 16.1 innings of work holding FSL batters to a .113 average. He gave up just six hits and two earned runs good for a 1.10 ERA. Zagurksi had five saves for the Threshers before his promotion to Reading (Double-A).

He played in just six games for the R-Phils before being brought up to the Major League roster. Over the next few months he spent a majority of his time (25 appearances) with the Phillies, but also spent time (seven appearances) with the Ottawa Lynx (Triple-A). He was on the major league roster when an injury ended his season in late August.

Past winners of the Paul Owens Award include former Threshers Carlos Carrasco, Chris Roberson, and Cole Hamels.

Baseball Prospectus' 'Future Shock'

Kevin Goldstein looked for the breakout minor leaguers in this article for Baseball Prospectus.

Jason Donald was the selection for the Phillies, while Andrew Carpenter and Lou Marson made honorable mention.

Brad Harman to Hawaiian Winter League

Brad Harman is set to be part of the Hawaiian Winter League. The four-team league will play a 40-game schedule that starts near the end of September and runs through the middle of November.

The rosters are stocked with players from American professional rosters as well as players from Japan and Korea.

The league returned last year after a five-year stint in the mid-1990s.

Former Thresher Patrick Overholt is also scheduled for the Hawaiian Winter League.

Threshers Win 2007 FSL Championship!

Congratulations to the Clearwater Threshers, 2007 Florida State League Champions!

The blog is going on vacation for a week.

Check back for pictures and more from the celebration next week.

Threshers (Still) One Win From Championship

Game Time: 7:00pm      Gates Open: 6:00pm

Tonight's Lineup
TBA

Tonight's starting pitcher is Andrew Carpenter.

Game 3 Recap
The Threshers fell short 5-4 on Monday night at Bright House Networks Field.

Get quotes and more information about the game in Alan Friedman's game wrap on MiLB.com.

Check out the whole MiLB.com FSL Playoff Section here.

Updated at 12:30pm: Doug Kates also has a story about the game in the Florida Today.

Threshers One Win Away From Championship

Game Time: 7:00pm      Gates Open: 6:00pm

Tonight's Lineup
TBA

Tonight's starting pitcher is Zac Stott.

Game 2 Recap
The Threshers came from behind to win 6-4 in 11 innings at Brevard County on Sunday.

Get quotes and more information about the game in Steve Conley's game wrap on MiLB.com.

Threshers Look for 2-0 Series Lead in Brevard

The Clearwater Threshers and Brevard County Manatees are set to meet up for Game 2 of the FSL Championship Series tonight at 7:00pm in Brevard County.

The Threshers won Game 1 by a score of 8-1. Steve Conley has a game wrap-up on MILB.com with quotes from Threshers' players. According to the story, Andrew Cruse is tonight's starter.

The series is set to move to Clearwater on Monday, September 10.

Threshers Chase Championship in Brevard County

The Clearwater Threshers beat the Sarasota Reds 4-3 last night at Ed Smith Stadium to advance to the Florida State League Championship Series against the Brevard County Manatees.

Shane Figueroa has a great game recap with quotes from Clearwater Threshers players on MiLB.com.

The Threshers traveled after the game to the East Coast to get ready for Game 1 tonight at 7:00pm in Brevard County.

Threshers Play for West Division Title Tonight in Sarasota

The Clearwater Threshers beat the Sarasota Reds 3-2 yesterday at Ed Smith Stadium to tie up the West Division Series at one game apiece.

Lou Marson doubled twice on the night, scoring a run and also knocking in a RBI. John Urick also had two hits and a RBI.

Reliever Will Savage came into the game in the seventh inning and shut down the Reds to earn the save. He struck out five of the nine batters he faced, and gave up no hits.

The West Division Title will be settled tonight in Sarasota. The game is scheduled for a 7:00pm start. The winner travels to Brevard County, who beat St. Lucie for the East Division Championship. The FSL Championship Series is best-of-five.

Mother Nature Postpones Game 2 in Sarasota

A contingent of approximately 75 Threshers staffers and fans made their way to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota last night, and unfortunately the only action we saw on the field was the tarp crew. A heavy rain storm moved through Sarasota right near game time and was still going strong as the Reds made the decision around 8:15pm to postpone Game 2 until today (Thursday). It is scheduled for 7:00pm and will be a nine-inning game.

This could push the FSL Playoff Schedule back a day depending on the outcome tonight. The earliest that the Threshers could now host a game (in Round 2) would be Monday, September 10.

Updated 1:55pm: Andrew Carpenter is now the scheduled starter for Game 2 tonight.

Threshers Face Elimination Tonight in Sarasota

The Reds won Game 1 by a score of 2-0 on the strength of a masterful pitching performance by Ben Jukich. The Threshers did have a chance to steal the win in the ninth, as they managed to load the bases with reliever Derrik Lutz on the mound. However, Jake Blalock's towering shot fell just short of the outfield wall.

Phil Denis has a game story in today's Sarasota Herald-Tribune that can be found here.

The Threshers travel to Sarasota tonight for Game 2 of the FSL West Division Playoffs. The game is set to start at 7:00pm. Sarasota brought a pretty large contingent up here for yesterday's game, so let's outshine them tonight in their ballpark!

Playoffs Start Tonight

Game Time: 7:00pm      Gates Open: 6:00pm

Tonight's Lineup
TBA

Tonight's starting pitcher is Andrew Cruse.

Two For Tuesday
Celebrate the playoffs as our famous Thirsty Thursday promotion makes its way to a Tuesday night.

All drinks are 2 for 1 throughout the ballpark.

Playoff Picture
The Threshers have clinched the second half division title and will host the Sarasota Reds on Tuesday, September 4 at 7:00pm for Game 1 of the FSL Divisonal Playoffs. The Reds are set to host Game 2 (Wednesday) and Game 3 (Thursday) in Sarasota.

Tickets for the Tuesday, September 4 playoff game are on-sale now!

The FSL Championship Series will pit the winner of the West Division playoffs vs. the winner of the East Division (Brevard County or St. Lucie) playoffs in a best-of-five format. The West Division Champion will host Game 3, Game 4 (if necessary), and Game 5 (if necessary). Dates and Times are TBD.

Regular Season Ends Today

Game Time: 1:00pm      Gates Open: Noon

Tonight's Lineup
TBA

Prepare to get Wet-N-Wacky
Wear Your Swimsuit on Sunday, September 2! Wet-N-Wacky Day features all types of water activities including a water slide, water balloons, water guns, water games, sprinklers, showers, misters, and more!

Kids 13 and Under receive a Box Seat at a special Wet-N-Wacky price of $1.

Bring the Family for just $25
As you've probably seen all over your TV, Sundays are Bright House Networks Family Days. You can choose between the $25 pack for 4 people or the $15 pack for just 2. The 4-pack includes 4 Premium Box Seats, 4 Hot Dogs, 4 Sodas, 4 bags of Cracker Jack, and 2 Game Programs.

Yesterday's Game(s)
The Threshers blasted the Flying Tigers yesterday in Game 1 of the doubleheader by a score of 11-1. Andrew Carpenter (17-6) lost his no-hit bid in the sixth inning after giving up a home run. He struck out seven and walked three in the game. Seven Threshers had at least one RBI in the game. Jeremy Slayden led the Threshers with four hits in four at-bats including his fourteenth home run of the year. He picked up three RBIs on the night. Jason Donald, Jake Blalock, and PJ Antoniato also had multi-hit games. Blalock's night included his sixth home run of the season. Brian Burgamy hit his ninth home run of the year in the fourth inning.

Antonio Bastardo made his first appearance for the Threshers in Game 2 after arriving from Lakewood. He picked up the win (1-0) after striking out 12 in just five innings of work. Matt Thayer and Clay Harris provided most of the offense. Thayer had two hits and three RBIs, while Harris had two hits and two RBIs. Jason Donald had two hits and scored twice. The final score was 6-5.

Playoff Picture
The Threshers have clinched the second half division title and will host the Sarasota Reds on Tuesday, September 4 at 7:00pm for Game 1 of the FSL Divisonal Playoffs. The Reds are set to host Game 2 (Wednesday) and Game 3 (Thursday) in Sarasota.

Tickets for the Tuesday, September 4 playoff game are on-sale now!

Fan Appreciation Weekend Continues Tonight

Game Time: 5:00pm (Game 1)      Gates Open: 4:00pm

Tonight's Lineup
TBA

Giveaways Galore
There will be plenty of giveaways at the ballpark on Saturday, September 1. Be sure to be one of the first 1,500 fans through the gates so that you receive the 2007 Clearwater Threshers Team Photo.

Boom Boom Boom
Fireworks will light up the sky post-game on Saturday, September 1.

Yesterday's Game(s)
The start to Game 1 was delayed by one hour and forty nine minutes due to several rain showers in the area. The game was also delayed again in the top of the sixth inning with the score tied at three. After a delay of approximately one hour and ten minutes, the game was re-started. Both teams scored once in the sixth inning, but it took an extra inning for the Lakeland Flying Tigers to take the lead and eventually win 5-4. Brad Harman went three for four and had two RBIs while Lou Marson and P.J. Antoniato both went two for three. Marson hit his seventh home run of the year in the fourth inning. Starter Alex Concepcion struck out seven in his five innings before the in-game rain delay.

Things looked bleak in Game 2 for the Clearwater Threshers down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out on the scoreboard. September 1 had arrived. Hector Made walked which brought up Brian Burgamy. Burgamy smacked the game-tying home run (8) to right field. Brad Harman followed that up with a home run (13) of his own to give the Threshers a huge come-from-behind 4-3 victory.

Prepare to get Wet-N-Wacky
Wear Your Swimsuit on Sunday, September 2! Wet-N-Wacky Day features all types of water activities including a water slide, water balloons, water guns, water games, sprinklers, showers, misters, and more!

Kids 13 and Under receive a Box Seat at a special Wet-N-Wacky price of $1.

Bring the Family for just $25
As you've probably seen all over your TV, Sundays are Bright House Networks Family Days. You can choose between the $25 pack for 4 people or the $15 pack for just 2. The 4-pack includes 4 Premium Box Seats, 4 Hot Dogs, 4 Sodas, 4 bags of Cracker Jack, and 2 Game Programs.

Playoff Picture
The Threshers are still chasing that elusive playoff berth and are now in first place. Win out, and Clearwater is in the playoffs!

Current Standings
The Threshers (41-26) have a half game lead on the Dunedin Blue Jays (41-27) and Tampa Yankees (41-27).

Remaining Schedule (number of games left in parentheses)
Clearwater (3) - The series with Lakeland continues tonight with a doubleheader. The regular season finale is Sunday.

Dunedin (2) - They close with two more home games against Ft. Myers.

Tampa (2) - They close their season with two more games at Sarasota.

Playoff Schedule
The first round of the playoffs will pit the winner of the first half (Sarasota) with the winner of the second half. The second half winner will host Game One which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 4. Sarasota will host Game Two on Wednesday, September 5 and Game Three on Thursday, September 6 (if necessary).

Tickets for a potential playoff game on Tuesday, September 4 at Bright House Networks Field are on-sale now. If you do purchase a ticket and we do not make the playoffs, you will able to return your ticket for a credit. The deadline to return will be October 31, 2007.