The IronPigs Fly, Regardless of How

Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr.

J.P. Crawford is joining the Phillies today. He joins a long list of IronPigs teammates on the big league club. Rhys Hoskins. Nick Williams. Jorge Alfaro. Pedro Florimon. Nick Pivetta. Ben Lively. Jake Thompson. Hoby Milner. Zach Eflin. Mark Leiter Jr. Luis Garcia. Ricardo Pinto. Yacksel Rios. Jesen Therien. Edubray Ramos. Ty Kelly. Cameron Perkins. All of them played for the IronPigs- this season. All are currently on the Phillies.

Somehow though, the Phillies AAA affiliate is in the International League Playoffs after winning 4-3 yesterday. It doesn't seem possible. It shouldn't be possible. It's happening though. Despite having their rotation raided, their bullpen decimated, and their line-up completely turned over, the Pigs swept first-place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to get in the playoffs for the second consecutive year- even without the prospects this time. Sure, Scott Kingery and Thomas Eshelman are pretty good names to get familiar with, but this team took a beating from the big league club, which desperately needed bodies to get through their season. It's a miracle that this team made up three games in the last week to catch Rochester.

Big shout outs are in order to all of the career AAA players on the IronPigs roster who kept grinding it out to make the playoffs. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs will host game one on Wednesday night against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders.