The Long Island Ducks are flying high — and already can taste a title.
It’s been a whirlwind season out in Central Islip, as the quack attack closes in on the Atlantic League Professional Baseball Championship Series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs — now just one win away after taking a pair of road games in the best-of-five series.
And they’re doing it all after polarizing former MLB All-Star Trevor Bauer departed for Mexico in June after signing at the start of the year.
“You never know how guys are going to respond to different things like that,” manager Lew Ford told The Post.
“And they did respond. Different guys have stepped up throughout the year … the beginning of August we just started playing our best baseball.”
With one weekend to go, “we’re confident,” the skipper added.
“We’ve had our hitters step up in big situations,” Ford said. “But it really just starts with our pitching and the defense … our pitching staff has stepped up so much.”
The 80-win Ducks playoff hopes came down to the wire as Long Island had to sweep the Blue Crabs in the final series of the regular season to win and get in. They flocked on and swept the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars in the divisional round to reach the championship, as Ford’s team looks to close out the series at home this weekend.
“It’s going to be an exciting atmosphere,” he said. “We’re looking for some good fan support.”
One of those fans will be the former owner, the beloved Frank Boulton, who sold the Ducks to Texas Rangers-adjacent REV Entertainment last winter after a quarter-century at the helm.
“He’s very happy that we’re in the championship series right now, and he’s totally supportive,” Ford said. “He just loves his Ducks.”
