Baseball is a game that can be hard to predict. There are few other sports in which fortunes can change so quickly and so often. Just ask the BlueClaws, who went from down and out to a first half contender in span of two weeks. And while the Lakewood first half playoff push fell just short, there was no lack of exciting and dramatic moments that characterized their rise to among the South Atlantic League elite.

Michael Taylor, Drew Naylor and the rest of the BlueClaws were 19-23 and 7.5 games behind Lake County on May 18. Less than a month later, they closed out their best first half in team history at 38-32, creeping to within one game of the eventual champs before just missing out on the title.

And plenty of the moments and games that helped the BlueClaws reach previously unknown first half success came in the friendly confines of FirstEnergy Park. Traditionally known as a pitchers park, the BlueClaws found success both on the mound and at the plate in their home yard.