Evansville Otters miss Frontier League playoffs, finish tied for most wins
Chad LindskogEVANSVILLE — If you're not first, you're last.
Or, as is the case for the Evansville Otters, you're at least on the outside looking in.
They finished the regular season Sunday with a win to bring their record to 57-39, which ties a franchise mark for the most single-season victories. They also are tied with the Florence Y’alls at 57 wins. But the Y’alls played one fewer game and had one fewer loss.
They’re the Frontier League West Division winners and the Otters will sit at home this postseason for the first time since 2015.
More:Otters coach Boots Day to retire; former major leaguer was team's first manager in 1995
Only four division winners advance to the playoffs in the 14-team league and the Otters have a better record than three of them.
Still, their season is over, a half-game shy of first place.
“In hindsight, I think something’s gotta change, obviously,” Otters manager Andy McCauley told the Courier & Press last week. “I think two divisions of seven where the two best teams go in each would certainly be a better format. But that’s above my paygrade.”
McCauley was named the Roger Hanners Frontier League Manager of the Year for the third time in his career. This season he surpassed 1,000 managerial wins, including 500 as the Otters’ manager.
Infielders Riley Krane and J.R. Davis as well as relief pitcher Logan Sawyer were named Frontier League postseason All-Stars. They emerged as leaders early on for a club that only returned five players from their 2019 campaign.
The Otters will hope for better luck next year.
Plus, they ended with a fun finale. To celebrate Boots Day’s retirement after 55 seasons in professional baseball, the 74-year-old hit lead-off on Sunday as the designated hitter.
He opened the bottom of the first with Lake Erie manager Dan Rohn on the mound. After working the count, Day hit the ball to the left side for a ground out and received a standing ovation from the teams and fans. He then exited the game.
It was Day’s first professional at-bat since 1980.
Contact Chad Lindskog of the Courier & Press by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.