Binghamton Rumble Ponies clinch playoff spot and look ahead to postseason

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WBNG) - It’s been six years since the Binghamton Rumble Ponies have been to the playoffs. That’s about to change this fall.

“We’re in a really good spot. We got some awesome second-half new additions. It’s really culminated into a fun team and a really fun part of the season,” said Binghamton Rumble Ponies starting pitcher Dominic Hamel.

The team clinched a postseason spot over the weekend but it didn’t always look like a guarantee. The Ponies finished the first half in fourth place, and as recently as August 20th, were just 22-22.

Binghamton added some new players though, and hasn’t looked back since.

“We’ve added some really quality players into our organization and it’s really made our system a lot stronger. The guys that we acquired through trades have been so professional and have great attitudes. Excited to be here. Excited to play. They’ve played really well for us,” said Binghamton Rumble Ponies manager Reid Brignac.

That new influx of talent includes trade deadline additions like Luisangel Acuna and Drew Gilbert, as well as call-ups like Kevin Parada and Blade Tidwell.

“Great group of guys. Great coaching staff. It’s definitely fun to come to the park every day. This time of the year you can get tired and make it harder to come to the park every day but a group like this makes up for that,” said Binghamton Rumble Ponies outfielder Drew Gilbert.

Currently, the Ponies have one of the best rosters in baseball. They have four of the Mets top five prospects, including three first-round picks from the 2022 draft.

“We got a lot of easygoing guys on the team and everyone has their own type of personality but I think we all just play the game the same way. We bust our butts and we like to win. Especially later in the season when other teams are tired and other guys are tired. We encourage each other really well,” explained Hamel.

Now the team is finishing out the regular season with a homestand against Reading, then it’s all eyes on the playoffs.

“We’re still in a good spot. We still want to win this week and finish the season strong in the regular season but we know what we’re planning for in the following week in Somerset. We’re excited,” said Hamel.

It’s been nine years since the Eastern League championship came back to Binghamton.

This ponies squad is hoping to change that too.

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