The annual NALB all-star game was played on July 10, 2018. The Brooklyn Knights were well-represented on the League 1 All-Stars team. Fans voted nine Knights onto the roster—seven pitchers and two fielders. In addition, Darius Luxton was given the honor of starting the game. He pitched a clean first inning and Brooklyn’s four relievers pitched the final five innings without giving up a run. Unfortunately for League 1, Dayton’s Jade Pradia allowed two runs in the second inning and Cornfield’s Vic Jukes allowed three more in the fourth. Scoring for the League 2 All-Stars came courtesy of a Hsiao-lou Yuan home run in the second and a homer by Dorian Chivers in the fourth.

Brooklyn catcher Dan Conley hit a solo homer, a bit surprising as he only had hit one all season. League 1 added three more runs but the comeback fell short. League 2 prevailed by a score of 5-4.

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9   R  H  E
League 2 All-Stars   0 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 0   5  9  0
League 1 All-Stars   0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0   4  8  0

W: J. Kamoga
L: J. Pradia
S: M. Genge

The Knights were almost unstoppable in June. Brooklyn started the month with a 16 game winning streak. After claiming victory in 19 out of 20 games, the team slowed a bit. Overall, the Knights ended with a 23-5 record for the month, which put them 23 games ahead of the Mudcats. All was not good news for Brooklyn, however. On June 29, staff ace Porfírio Portio left the game after pitching to one batter. The next day, his injury was diagnosed as a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Portio previously tore his UCL two years ago. Since then, he also suffered a partially torn labrum and radial nerve compression. With Portio’s latest injury, it appears the 28 year old phenom’s career is over. Once considered NALB’s most talented pitcher, he will be sorely missed by the Knights.

The Firecats put pressure on the Beasts, climbing to within one game of the Beasts. The Rattlers remained atop their division while the Stade Maples overtook the Key West Corals.

June 2018 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Tony Rodarte (Nashville Firecats)
Pitcher of the Month: Fernando Villazana (Dunedin Otters)
Rookie of the Month: Javier Cirneros (Las Vegas Luck)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Aramis Jáquez (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Tyler Stivers (Stade Maples)
Rookie of the Month: Elequemedo González (Richmond Slam)

After a blistering start in April, the Knights cooled off just a bit in May. Winning 17 out of 27 games for the month solidified Brooklyn’s NALB best record at 37-17. The Knights faced some bad news, however, as 1B/3B John Ruben was lost for the season with a torn PCL. Ruben was hitting a solid .293 and led the team in RBI with 30. His bat and reliable glove will certainly be missed. Last year’s best team in the regular season was the Luisville Beasts. The Beasts won 19 games in May to ascend to first place in their division. The Corals and Rattlers remained atop their respective divisions. Phoenix clearly made some good moves with its pitching staff in the offseason. Heath MacKissock and Saúl Ramírez were both named pitchers of the month to start the season.

May 2018 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Luiís Vergel (Cornfield Axemen)
Pitcher of the Month: Porfiro Quiñones (Cornfield Axemen)
Rookie of the Month: Derrek Bankhead (Dunedin Otters)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Ángel Santago (Vancouver Wild)
Pitcher of the Month: Saúl Ramírez (Phoenix Rattlers)
Rookie of the Month: Elequemedo González (Richmond Slam)

The Brooklyn Knights had a tremendous start to the 2018 season with a 20-7 record. Unfortunately, the Knights ended the month with Romeo Usquiano and Jesús Montufar on the injured list. Both players should return in about four weeks. The Luisville Beasts were once again a dangerous rival, winning three games out of four so far against Brooklyn. The Nashville Firecats got off to a hot start and appear ready to challenge the Beasts for their division. It was the Key West Corals who put up the month’s best record, however, at 20-6. The Phoenix Rattlers spent big money on free agent acquisitions prior to this season. Those moves have started to pay off as Heath MacKissock was named League 2’s Pitcher of the Month. The Rattlers currently lead their division by a mere half game.

April 2018 awards:

League 1
Batter of the Month: Alexis Schmidt (Dayton Grizzlies)
Pitcher of the Month: Ken Hannah (Brooklyn Knights)
Rookie of the Month: Darcy Shade (Las Vegas Luck)

League 2
Batter of the Month: Mac-André Lavoie (Richmond Slam)
Pitcher of the Month: Heath MacKissock (Phoenix Rattlers)
Rookie of the Month: Elequemedo González (Richmond Slam)