The Dublin Hurricanes are one of Ireland's most adorable, wildest, funkiest, oldest, sexiest, hottest, craziest, fun-lovingest and most successful baseball clubs. They have won every award going in Irish baseball, they are the only Irish club side to have traveled several times to European Club competitions and their players have scooped many of the individual awards available to players in the Irish baseball league. In short, it has been a good twelve year run. The team’s core has largely remained the same, which makes the accomplishments and memories all the sweeter to those involved.
Cutting straight to the chase, over the next few days we will be revealing the Top Ten Dublin Hurricanes Baseball Club moments of all time (all time being 1997 – 2008). Hopefully you will join us for the ride, and while we look back at the memories, you the reader will get a good sense of what it means to play baseball for an Irish baseball club.
The list was voted for by several veteran players of the Hurricanes Club.
Straight to the list. Number Two.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history; number two: 18-3
The 2005 Irish baseball season was a dramatic and fruitful one for the Dublin Hurricanes. After a slow start, where the ‘Canes assimilated new players into their ranks, the ‘Canes eventually hit gear and made a serious playoff push. For 2005 the league used a new experimental format that ended up being used just the once. The first half of the season's standings determined the league structure for the second half of the year. The top four teams would play in the A league and the bottom five teams would play in the B league. The top two teams in the A would play for the final (best two out of three). The Hurricanes qualified second in the first half and then went to an invitational baseball tournament in Croydon, London at the beginning of July.
The Canes had had a very good tournament and just missed out on making the finals by one run. That trip seemed to galvanise the team as on their return the Canes went 9-0 in the second half of the season. This powerful second half push led to a finals meeting against their great rivals the Spartans, in a best two-out-of-three final.
The Canes slipped past the Spartans in game one of the finals, which then led to the second greatest moment in Dublin Hurricanes history, game two of the series. The Hurricanes lineup that day, which must be one of the greatest lineups ever fielded in Irish League baseball history, was as follows;
Spartans pitching felt the brunt of that lineup as the Hurricanes exploded for eighteen runs, as a balanced hitting attack just kept coming, piling runs on runs and pushing the ‘Canes to their second Irish league title in the space of three years.
The Hurricanes defence was heavily involved also. Play of the game (and perhaps the season) came as Keith Masterson caught a high fly in mid-deep center field. The Spartans center fielder JD was on first, and made the mistake of straying a little too far up the line towards the second base bag. Keith spotted this and as he caught the pop fly, unleashed a sensational throw to first, doubling JD off and ending the inning for the Spartans.
Game two of the 2005 Irish league championships finished 18-3 as the Hurricanes cruised to the title and the second greatest moment in Hurricanes history.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history
2. 18-3
3. Andy Martin's game winning knock
4. Gordon Ireland's 2002 Triple Crown season
5. 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
6. TK gets strangled
7. Vegas Valkys goes yard - Croydon 2005
8. Andy Martin's sensational, silver slugger 2004 season
9. The legend of Spencer Grace
10. Gordon Ireland's final at bat as a Hurricane
Baseball Ireland links
Cutting straight to the chase, over the next few days we will be revealing the Top Ten Dublin Hurricanes Baseball Club moments of all time (all time being 1997 – 2008). Hopefully you will join us for the ride, and while we look back at the memories, you the reader will get a good sense of what it means to play baseball for an Irish baseball club.
The list was voted for by several veteran players of the Hurricanes Club.
Straight to the list. Number Two.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history; number two: 18-3
The 2005 Irish baseball season was a dramatic and fruitful one for the Dublin Hurricanes. After a slow start, where the ‘Canes assimilated new players into their ranks, the ‘Canes eventually hit gear and made a serious playoff push. For 2005 the league used a new experimental format that ended up being used just the once. The first half of the season's standings determined the league structure for the second half of the year. The top four teams would play in the A league and the bottom five teams would play in the B league. The top two teams in the A would play for the final (best two out of three). The Hurricanes qualified second in the first half and then went to an invitational baseball tournament in Croydon, London at the beginning of July.
The Canes had had a very good tournament and just missed out on making the finals by one run. That trip seemed to galvanise the team as on their return the Canes went 9-0 in the second half of the season. This powerful second half push led to a finals meeting against their great rivals the Spartans, in a best two-out-of-three final.
The Canes slipped past the Spartans in game one of the finals, which then led to the second greatest moment in Dublin Hurricanes history, game two of the series. The Hurricanes lineup that day, which must be one of the greatest lineups ever fielded in Irish League baseball history, was as follows;
- C: Tom Kelley
- 2B: Andy Martin
- 1B: Carlos ‘The big cat’ Melasecca
- SS: Steve Divito
- LF: Radek
- RF: Chris Foy
- CF: Keith Masterson
- 3B: Eric ‘Vegas’ Valkys
- DH: Garret Pearse
- EP (extra player): Rafael Diaz
- Pitching: Cormac Eklof
Spartans pitching felt the brunt of that lineup as the Hurricanes exploded for eighteen runs, as a balanced hitting attack just kept coming, piling runs on runs and pushing the ‘Canes to their second Irish league title in the space of three years.
The Hurricanes defence was heavily involved also. Play of the game (and perhaps the season) came as Keith Masterson caught a high fly in mid-deep center field. The Spartans center fielder JD was on first, and made the mistake of straying a little too far up the line towards the second base bag. Keith spotted this and as he caught the pop fly, unleashed a sensational throw to first, doubling JD off and ending the inning for the Spartans.
Game two of the 2005 Irish league championships finished 18-3 as the Hurricanes cruised to the title and the second greatest moment in Hurricanes history.
The Greatest Moment in Dublin Hurricanes history
2. 18-3
3. Andy Martin's game winning knock
4. Gordon Ireland's 2002 Triple Crown season
5. 'I ja-kneew dey were going to do dat!'
6. TK gets strangled
7. Vegas Valkys goes yard - Croydon 2005
8. Andy Martin's sensational, silver slugger 2004 season
9. The legend of Spencer Grace
10. Gordon Ireland's final at bat as a Hurricane
Baseball Ireland links
- Play baseball in Ireland for the Dublin Hurricanes
- Directions to the O'Malley fields at Corcaigh Park
- The Dublin Hurricanes on wikipedia
- Understated Dodger legends (Peter O'Malley and the fields @ Corcaigh park)
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