Loree, now a Pirate, returns for playoffs
Long Island Ducks Mike Loree is honored as the team MVP. (Sept. 18, 2011) Credit: Ed Betz
Less than a month ago, Ducks pitcher Mike Loree achieved the dream of every independent league baseball player. He signed with a major-league organization (the Pirates), instantly was promoted to Double A and was invited to spring training next February.
Nothing against the dream, but he had just one little request.
Loree asked that, once the schedule was over for Class AA Altoona, he be allowed to come back and finish the season on Long Island. The Pirates agreed. They evidently understood.
"Everybody wants to get a ring," said the 27-year-old righthanded starter from Gillette, N.J., who is expected to start Game 1 of the postseason Wednesday night (6:35 at Bethpage Ballpark) against Southern Maryland, which beat Bridgeport in Tuesday night's one-game playoff.
He was named the Ducks' Most Valuable Player, having set a franchise record with his league-leading 14 wins and having led the Atlantic League with a 1.98 ERA and 131 strikeouts. Loree pitched well for Altoona, too, posting a 1.17 ERA.
He could have shut it down and focused on 2012, but he just couldn't leave Central Islip behind.
"I worked it out in the contract that I'd be able to come back here and finish what we started," he said. "It has been such a special year. It's a great group of guys and I want to win that championship."
Last fall, Loree watched Buster Posey, a former teammate in the Giants chain, win the World Series. The pitcher was coming off a nondescript season with Newark, but he was encouraged about the splitter he had just developed. He signed as a reliever with the Ducks, got his chance to start in May when Lenny DiNardo signed with the Athletics and then became the ace.
"There's good energy in the park every night. It's a lot of fun, playing in front of fans who really understand the game and are excited to be there," Loree said.
Ducks outfielder Lew Ford, a former Twin who once faced Mariano Rivera in the American League Division Series, understands why Loree returned. "When you play an entire season with a group of guys, you get that camaraderie. We're brothers," Ford said. "We're successful, we're going into the postseason. This is why you're still playing baseball."
