It was a beautiful, sun-splashed afternoon to watch a baseball game at Hadlock Field on Sunday.

And it was the last one here for 2014.

The Portland Sea Dogs’ successful season came to a close after an 8-5 loss to the Binghamton Mets in the deciding game of their Eastern League playoff series. The Sea Dogs  finished the regular season with an 88-54 record, the best in team history. That topped their previous best record of 86-56 in 1995.

After a champagne celebration in the visiting clubhouse – tucked away in the Portland Expo – the Mets boarded a bus for Virginia, where they will play the Richmond Flying Squirrels for the league championship.

The Sea Dogs, the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, were left packing up their gear and saying goodbyes. Most will be on their way home by Monday.

“I’m going to miss this,” said infielder Stefan Welch. “It’s the best experience I’ve had. Winning makes it fun, but the guys here were a close-knit group.”

Advertisement

It was a group that constantly changed.

The 2014 season began with one of the most talent-laden Sea Dogs teams in history. Boston sent some of its best prospects to Portland, including second baseman/outfielder Mookie Betts, catcher Blake Swihart, shortstop Deven Marrero and pitcher Henry Owens.

Those prospects helped push Portland into first place in the Eastern League East Division, and the Sea Dogs stayed there.

Slowly, those prospects were promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. Betts and third baseman Carlos Rivero are now on the Red Sox major league roster. Ten others are in Pawtucket.

“You knew that guys were going to be leaving, especially with the team we had at the beginning of the year,” said Sea Dogs relief pitcher Robby Scott, one of the seven players who remained in Portland from the Opening Day roster. “It was just a matter of time.”

New players came in, promoted from the Class A team in Salem, Virginia, or activated from the disabled list.

Advertisement

“The guys that came up and took their spot did an incredible job to keep it going,” Scott said. “No momentum lost.”

Portland kept on winning.

“We were a different team on paper but I think the spirit of the (original) team lived on throughout the year,” said second baseman Sean Coyle, one of the original seven.

“It was kind of infectious here in the clubhouse – that will to win. And that will to win was something that really defined the team this year. It was pretty special.”

Coyle had to sit out Sunday because of a bruised wrist. But Scott got in the game, entering in the seventh inning. He retired eight straight batters before allowing a double. Scott was replaced and, while walking off the mound, received a standing ovation from the Hadlock crowd.

“It was pretty cool,” Scott said. “This city’s been awesome. From Day 1, when it was 35 degrees, our fans have been there, cheering for us.

“It’s been an awesome year.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.