Long Island Ducks baseball Ed Yarnall Dave LaPoint Brian Bohl Randy Leek Citibank Park Central Islip NY

Seeking a Ring with the Ducks

Yarnall to Start Game One in Playoffs

By Brian Bohl

September 14, 2007

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY— Ed Yarnall became part of Mets history without appearing in a game for the big league club. Only a select few diehard fans remember him as a prospect last decade, but even casual observers know the player the Amazings received in a blockbuster trade.

On May 22, 1998, the Mets sent Yarnall, along with Preston Wilson and Geoff Goetz, to Florida in exchange for Mike Piazza. The 6-3, 235-pound hurler was also part of two other major trades, going to the Yankees in a package for Mike Lowell. It was with the Bronx Bombers that he compiled his only major league stats, going 1-0 in three starts and seven total appearances from 1999-00 before being shipped yet again to Cincinnati for Denny Neagle. (Above: Yarnall on the mound this year for the Ducks -- Photo by Cheryl Watkins)

After being sent to the Marlins, Yarnall bounced around with six different organizations, not including a two-year stint in Japan. Eleven years after the Mets drafted him in the third round, the southpaw will get his chance to make a significant impact for a professional New York baseball team when he starts Game One of the Atlantic League’s first round playoff series in Newark Tuesday night.

“They’re a real aggressive team and their game is to swing for the fences no matter what the count is or what the situation is,” said Yarnall, who will be entrusted with sending the Ducks home to Citibank Park with a 1-0 edge in the best-of-three series. He will oppose Newark and its league-best .301 team batting average. “That works to my advantage,’ explained Yarnall. “I’m pretty aggressive and they chase fastballs out of the strike zone. I think we match up well against each other.”

When Yarnall joined the Ducks in mid June, manager Dave LaPoint hoped he found a left-hander to fortify the bullpen. The new acquisition fit that role during his first month, recording a 3.38 ERA in eight relief appearances.

Yarnall was inserted into the rotation the following month, as the 31-year-old became one the Ducks’ most consistent starters. His ERA never cracked the four-run threshold from June to August, earning him the top spot in the postseason rotation. That decision was made easier when Randy Leek (pictured at right) made his first start since returning to Long Island from the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club. Leek will start Game Two on his normal four-day rest, pitching Wednesday at home in the potential elimination game.

“I wanted to see Ed get back to where he was three starts ago,” LaPoint said after Yarnall’s three-run, seven inning performance against the Bears Wednesday. “We made a little correction in his delivery. He threw the ball pretty. I feel a lot better about him.”

Seeing a team multiple times in a short span gives the pitcher a chance to study tendencies and pinpoint weakness in the lineup. It also gives the offense a chance to get a good look at a pitcher’s repertoire. It’s debatable which side—if either—holds the advantage, though Yarnall said it depends on the individual situation.

“For these guys, it doesn’t make a difference because they have the same approach,” said the pitcher. “They [the Bears] don’t try to move guys over. They just try to hit home runs all the time. I don’t care if I face them two times in a row or five times, they have the same approach.”

Added LaPoint: “Who knows if it’s going to be the same lineup? We don’t have the luxury of not doing that. We had to face him. You have to put that out of your mind.” (Manager Dave LaPoint at left -- Photo by Jay Beatty)

Should the Ducks outlast the first-half champion Bears, they will advance to the championship round for the first time since the 2004 season. The best-of-five series would come against the South Division winner. Yarnall owns 20 innings of game experience in the majors, but he said earning a ring at any professional level is something that can pump the adrenaline come playoff time.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the big leagues, Triple-A, or the independent league. You want to compete and you want to win,” he said. “I don’t care what it’s in. For myself, whether it’s playing cards with a bunch of buddies or whatever, competition is competition. You always want to come out on top.”

Yarnall (at left, Photo by Cheryl Watkins) pitched for five different Triple-A squads following his two-year stay in Japan. The former Louisiana State standout compiled a career 53-43 ledger in eight minor league seasons excluding his time overseas.

“I played most of my career at Triple-A. This league’s different. They have the approach of lower-level hitting, but they’re better,’ he said. “If you’re around the strike zone, they’re going to hit you because they’re swinging hard all the time. They’ll chase, as well.”

“The starting pitching in this league is pretty decent. Hitting-wise, the league is pretty good,” Yarnall summed up.

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