THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 15, 2025 Page 13 METRO ‘TORNADOS’ – Malden High School players who excelled for the Bronze Medal Finalist Metro Team included, from left, Davante Layne, Jaylen Rivera-Fuentes, Ryan McMahon, Billy Gavin, Nick D’Anna and Devin Milonopoulos. (Advocate Photo) Nice Play! Metro Team’s Jaylen Rivera-Fuentes puts down the tag to catch a player stealing for the out at second base during the Bay State Games. (Courtesy/The Maldonian/ Malden HS Yearbook) Terry Francona’s first professional baseball coaching job was as manager of the South Bend (Ind.) Silver Sox in the Midwest League, then Low Single A level for the Chicago White Sox. (Courtesy Photo) TERRY FRANCONA | FROM PAGE 10 Malden High Class of 2026 pitcher Billy Gavin fires one in for Metro Team. (Advocate Photo) ter and it looked like a sure double, but the centerfielder tracked it down and held him to a single. Carmine did take a wide turn, but he did not take the bait as the outfielder fired a seed to second base. He got lifted for a pinch Mystic Valley Char t er Eagles Class of 2027 Nico Santonastaso was a member of Metro Team in the Bay State Games. (Courtesy Photo/MV Eagles Baseball) BEACON | FROM PAGE 12 this past season and an Everett resident and Jacob Gisetto, Malden Catholic Class of 2027, also an Everett resident. Also representing Malden Catholic was rising sophomore Anthony Capalino, another Everett resident. It was Capalino’s second Bay State Games and the third for Ruane. Three players from Mystic Valley Regional Charter High School shined for Metro Malden High Class of 2026 righthander Ryan McMahon fires a pitch for Metro Team. Team, rising senior Liam Powers (third Bay State Games), rising junior Ben Hickey (second Bay State Games) and rising junior Nico Santonastaso, a Saugus resident. Revere High School rising senior George Papalambros was also a member of the Metro Team this year. For D’Anna, who was Malden High’s starting varsity third baseman as a freshman this past season, it was his second Bay State Games. It was Malden High Class of 2028 slugger Nick D’Anna takes a big swing for Metro Team in the Bay State Games. the first Bay State Games for Layne, Malden High’s starting second baseman and record-setting leading hitter, Milonopoulois, the Tornado designated hitter this past season, Rivera-Fuentes and Gavin, a Tornado captain this past season and its leading pitching in wins and earned run average. All six players and two other returning starters will be leading the Malden High Golden Tornado baseball fortunes next spring. hitter in the later innings as they used a ton of guys in the game. That’s all right, I got to see his first professional game and his very first professional base hit! Awesome! I waited for him after the game and who knew? It happened. Carmine actually took a fairly long time to come out afterward and, wouldn’t you know, he was one of the last players to leave, walking out and chatting with his manager at the door, none other than Terry Francona! Carmine saw me standing there and waved me over. “Hey Skip,” Carmine says to the future Hall of Famer, “This is Frek, my high school coach; he came out to see me play this weekend.” “Nice to meet you, Frek!” Carmine’s soon to be very famous manager said. “We got us a good one here, he’s got a good eye and great bat. We’re lucky to have him!” Of course, Carmine was beaming — and so was I — two Malden guys who had no idea we were in the presence of astounding, future greatness: a man who would transform two franchises into bona fide “super”-winners, with two World Series titles in Boston, no less. I knew right away Carmine was in good hands, and I had a great flight back to Logan two days after that. Carmine would go on to play professional baseball at various levels — all the way up to Triple AAA! — and in three different countries for the next 10 years, longer than anyone ever in Malden High history. He appeared in 847 professional baseball games in 10 seasons, had 907 hits (77 home runs) in 3,117 at bats and finished his pro career with a sparkling .291 lifetime batting average. Francona? Well, he went on and did (and is still doing) Hall of Fame level deeds. Good luck with anything you do, and anyplace you go, Tito Francona! That one night in South Bend 1992, you made Malden High’s best-ever hitter, and his high school coach feels like a million bucks!
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