MAINE, Maine — Many baseball fans in Maine cheer for the Boston Red Sox.
It has been a year to forget for those fans, but as the MLB Postseason climaxes near the end of October, there are a few teams with Maine connections that people can temporarily support.
University of Maine baseball fans will remember Jeremy Peña. The former shortstop spent three seasons in Orono playing for the Black Bears.
The young Houston Astros infielder was named a Gold Glove Finalist by the MLB Thursday afternoon. The award is given to the best defensive player at each position in both the American and National Leagues.
Through four post-season games, not including Friday's game against the New York Yankees, Peña co-leads the Astros in hits and home runs.
His solo shot against the Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the ALDS gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the top of the 18th inning in one of the longest postseason games in MLB history. His home run gave the Astros the series-clinching win.
“I am not really that surprised. I’m really not," University of Maine head coach Nick Derba said of his former player's success.
Derba was actively recruiting before Peña got to campus in Orono. Derba said he and the current head coach at the time knew the Dominican-born player was going to be the "next best player to come out of Maine."
Peña moved to Rhode Island and played high school baseball in the Ocean State before coming to Maine.
“He was probably the one guy I spent more time driving down to see than I have spent on anybody," Derba added. “I don’t know why he picked [UMaine] besides the fact that he felt comfortable.”
Pena kept his hot streak going on Wednesday night against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series when he hit another home run and two more hits.
Derba described him as a "baseball junkie" when he was on campus and said you could see his facial expressions change whenever he heard the word baseball brought up in conversation.
On the other side of the postseason bracket, San Diego Padre coach and Portland native Ryan Flaherty is coming off a thrilling National League Championship Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
"It was much needed for the offense, and I’m hoping we can take that momentum to Philadelphia," Flaherty said Thursday.
He has been an advanced scout and development coach for the Padres for the last three seasons. Flaherty helps position players better understand the game by scouting opposing pitchers, looking at their own statistics, game results, and more.
“We’ve hit our stride this past month. The group’s certainly talented enough to be there in the end, and we just need to execute," he added.
The NLCS is currently tied one game apiece as the Padres and Phillies meet again Friday.
Flaherty said the intensity around the clubhouse is elevated during October baseball, and it's rewarding to watch the current players fight for a World Series ring.
It's also been hard for the former Deering High School star not to see highlights from another ball player with Maine connections. Flaherty said it's been fun to watch Peña play this well on the biggest stage in baseball.
“He’s a superstar.”