Just north of the United States border with Canada is the Frontier League. For their third consecutive year, the Quebec Capitales have punched their ticket to the Frontier League Championship Series, defeating the Ottawa Titans 8-7 on Sunday night.
They’re only three wins away from a three-peat, as they’ve won the last two Championship Series in the Frontier League. The Capitales are part of the East Division, where they finished with the second-best record in the entire league at 64-32. They had been the sole winners of the East Division.
So, how did the Capitales get to this point today? They’ve been led on offense by Canadian outfielder Justin Gideon, who led the team with 20 home runs on the year while hitting for a .287 average in 88 games. Another big bat for the Capitales to keep an eye on in the Championship Series is Canadian outfielder Marc-Antoine Lebreux, who hit a career-high 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 83 games with the Capitales. Former MLB infielder and Puerto Rican native Jesmuel Valentin is also a member of the team, where he added nine home runs and 49 RBIs while hitting .271 in 65 games.
As for their pitching staff, they combined for a 3.66 ERA during the regular season. The Capitales were led by Canadian right-hander James Bradwell, who pitched to a 12-0 record, posting a 2.72 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 97 batters in 109.1 innings pitched. Also impressing in the rotation is Panama native Abdiel Saldana. Saldana went 10-2, a 3.60 ERA in 18 starts, punching out 82 batters in 95 innings of work. Left-handed pitcher Harley Gollert made 20 starts with the club, pitching to a 6-6 record, a 3.79 ERA, and racking up 101 strikeouts in 109.1 innings.
The bullpen has been one of the bright spots for this team. Closer Frank Moscatiello was dominant, collecting 17 saves in 42 appearances. He finished the year with a 6-4 record, a 2.76 ERA, striking out 65 batters in 45.2 innings. Left-handed pitcher Franklin Parra was very successful out of the Capitales bullpen, throwing a 3-1 record, a 3.10 ERA, and striking out 54 batters in 35 appearances. Another dominant bullpen arm this season for the Capitales is Japanese reliever Ryo Kohigashi. The southpaw threw to a 5-2 record and recorded a 2.66 ERA while striking out 87 batters in just 61 innings. The lowest ERA in the bullpen at 1.09 belongs to right-hander Nick Trabacchi. Trabacchi threw in 30 games, striking out 46 batters in 33 innings of work, only walking 12 batters.
The Championship Series will begin tomorrow, September 10. The Captiales will face off against the Washington Wild Things as they gear up for the first two games of the five-game set in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://capitalesdequebec.com/finale-de-la-ligue-frontiere-les-informations/
Photo Credit: Eric Gagne former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and Cy Young Award winner, pitching for the Ottawa Champions during CAN-AM League action between the QuÈbec Capitales and Ottawa Champions at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
