All in all, it has been a good year for the Durham Bulls. As the organization-the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Triple-A affiliate-celebrates its 100th anniversary, it also looks to celebrate a successful season. The Bulls, by virtue of a 7-1 victory over the Richmond Braves Friday night, clinched the International League's Southern Division title and assured themselves a playoff berth.
In discussing the reasons behind the ball club's success, talk drifted away from individual achievement, instead focusing on baseball fundamentals and the balanced contribution of different parts of the team.
"It's a team thing," Bulls manager Bill Evers said. "They all contributed. It really was a team effort throughout the course of the year."
Outfielder Jason Tyner voiced similar sentiments.
"We're not a real big, power-hitting team," Tyner said. "Our pitchers throw good, we play good defense, and we have a lot of speed."
De-emphasizing the role of individuals made sense for a team, like most minor league clubs, that dealt with the loss of many of its best players. In particular, the Devil Rays' July 20 decision to call up IL rookie-of-the-year outfielder Carl Crawford and infielder Andy Sheets left the Bulls with a dearth of offensive power.
The Bulls' offense had already sustained a formidable blow in mid-June; catcher Toby Hall, who started the season in Tampa Bay, played 20 games with the Bulls in May and June, hitting .348 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI before being recalled by his major league team. A week before returning to Tampa, Hall homered in the 12th inning to lead the Bulls to victory, then, the next day, had an RBI-single in the 13th frame to deliver another extra-innings victory. The Bulls were 20-7 with Hall on the roster, including a season-high seven-game winning streak in June.
Losing Hall, Crawford and Sheets helps to explain the difference between the strength of the team during the first half of the season and its relative vulnerability after the All-Star Break. The Bulls ended the first half of the eason with a record of 56-36, a full three and a half games ahead of second-place Richmond. They then endured a five-game losing streak in the middle of July-even before Sheets and Crawford were recalled by the Devil Rays. Since the All-Star Break, the Bulls have sustained a more lackluster record of 23-28.
"We were a different type of club in the first half than we were in the second half.," Evers said. "But guys in the second half picked it up and did what they had to do."
Tyner had a similar analysis, but remained optimistic about the team's future given its recent surge.
"The team played really good early on in the season," Tyner said. "We struggled in the middle, which was where I think a lot of people doubted us. But we really came on strong at the end and gelled as a team."
The Bulls will also miss starting pitcher Lance Carter, who was called up by Tampa Bay Friday after winning seven straight starts and posting a 2.80 ERA.
Durham's division-clinching victory Friday was led by Tyner, who went 4-for-4, and RHP Delvin James, who allowed only one earned run in six innings. The Bulls then split a double-header with the Charlotte Knights, who they play again today in the last game of the regular season.
Along with clinching the IL Southern Division title, Durham can has a further reason to celebrate this season. Assuming that today's game is played, the team will likely post attendance logs of over 500,000 in each of its last two seasons.
The Bulls look forward to opening off the playoffs in Toledo Wednesday against the West Division champions, the Toledo Mudhens.
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