An oldtime baseball story
Cumberland native will pitch in throwback game
CUMBERLAND — To trace how Jonathan Lynch was selected to pitch in the 24th annual Oldtime Baseball Game, a charitable benefit scheduled for Thursday night in Cambridge, Mass., you must first go back to the spring of his junior year at Bishop Feehan High School.
A Cumberland native and alum of Cumberland American Little League, Lynch didn’t make the cut for the 2013 Feehan nine. (He graduated from the Attleborobased Catholic school the next year.)
“At that point, I wasn’t playing well at all,” he said when reached Wednesday.
Underneath the disappointment, the chance for redemp- tion existed. Luckily for Lynch, inspiration was right around the corner.
Lynch told the story about the 2013 day he got together with good friend Jake Rockefeller, a 2015 Cumberland High graduate who went on to become a left- handed reliever at the University of Rhode Island.
Rockefeller utilized an unorthodox sidearm delivery that nearly helped the Clippers capture the 2015 state title. His sterling performance in Game 3 of the best-of-three finals – nine innings, one unearned run against eventual champion Bishop Hendricken – was a testament to a pitcher who prefers to drop his arm before firing to home plate.
Lynch decided to take his cues from Rockefeller and mimic his submarine-esque approach, albeit from the right side of the rubber. At that point, he figured he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“I wanted to have something that would make me unique. (Rockefeller) taught me the ropes,” Lynch said.
Judging by Lynch’s 2017 output, first during the spring as a junior at Salve Regina University before transitioning to the amateur summer-ball ranks with the St. Joseph (Missouri) Mustangs of the MINK League, Rockefeller may have a future as a pitching coach. Others have played a role in helping Lynch sync up his delivery with his 6-foot-1, 185pound frame, yet where he drew his inspiration to become a side-winding reliever remains indisputable.
“If I didn’t throw side arm, I wouldn’t have played college baseball. There would be no way,” Lynch said.
Baseball-wise, Lynch is in a very good place. He served as team captain for a Salve Regina squad that captured the 2017 Commonwealth Coast Conference title and enjoyed a four-game run in the NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional.
Receiving the captaincy helped Lynch change his outlook at Salve. As a sophomore in 2016, he posted a 4.66 ERA in 16 games and 19.1 innings.
One year later, the same pitcher with bigger responsibilities saw his ERA shrink considerably (1.89 in 16 games/19 innings). He rattled off 12 consecutive scoreless appearances to open the season. To go along with his three saves, Lynch notched 15 strikeouts and displayed pinpoint control with only four walks.
“It was extremely humbling to know I had a lot of respect from the guys … that they had the confidence in me to lead them,” Lynch said about being appointed the Seahawks’ captain. “I wanted to be more of a role model for the younger guys and wanted to show them that you don’t have to overthink the game. Just simplify things … go out, throw strikes, and fill up the (strike) zone.”
Lynch’s crowning moment with the 2017 Salve Regina unit came May 19 when he tossed three scoreless innings and earned a save in a must-win game that kept the Seahawks’ NCAA hopes alive for another day. After a two-week respite, Lynch packed his bags and headed out to Missouri to face competition that was a step above what he saw during the spring. The MINK League is an eight-team arrangement that features clubs from Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.
With the Mustangs, Lynch stared in at batters with NCAA Division I and II backgrounds and junior college players who were on their way to the D-I ranks. He logged 15 innings over 12 regular-season games and recorded 14 strikeouts and 16 walks. The 21-year-old did represent St. Joseph at the mid-season MINK All-Star Game.
Between Salve and St. Joseph, Lynch was part of two teams that combined for a whopping 73-26 record. Like the Seahawks, the Mustangs were the last team left standing as they captured their fifth MINK League Championship in nine years.
Lynch is a three-pitch pitcher; fastball, slider, split-finger. He isn’t the hardest thrower, yet he knows how to subtract just enough miles per hour from his fastball to make his breaking assortment even more effective. It’s all part of the chess match between hitters and pitchers.
“Physical ability can only get you to what you’re capable of doing. The mental aspect is what you actually do in games,” Lynch said.
Lynch will be competing in his second Oldtime Baseball Game in as many years. When he attended media day earlier this month, he received the jersey he would don for the occa- sion – a vintage Pittsburgh Pirates jersey with No. 21 on the back, the number signifying Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente.
“They’re wool uniforms so they’re extremely hot,” Lynch said with a laugh. “Given how much (Clemente) meant to the baseball world, it’s very humbling to wear that uniform.”
Lynch will be on the same Oldtime team as Red Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. ARed Sox fan since childhood, Lynch admits the thought of following Martinez to the mound on Thursday night has crossed his mind.
“He’s going to throw gas and make the hitters look bad. To come in after him would be so unbelievable … pitching on the same mound as him,” said Lynch, who kept sharp in preparation for Thursday’s outing by throwing a couple bullpen sessions at Tucker Field. “He’s such a charismatic pitcher. He’s got a lot of emotion and passion and he really shows it on the field.”
Lynch is on track to graduate from Salve Regina in the spring with an undergraduate degree in administration of justice. Naturally, the hope is that he can postpone starting a job in his chosen field to a date further down the road and earn a shot at playing professional baseball.
“If the opportunity presents itself, I’m hopefully in a position where I can definitely take it. That would be awesome and unbelievable,” Lynch said.