By Jerry Del Priore
Former New York Met Ed Lynch has signed on with the independent Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks as their pitching coach for the upcoming 2019 season, the team announced Monday.
Lynch sang the praises of the Ducks and Atlantic League, saying he’s looking forward to working with a first-class organization and baseball association.
“I’m excited to join the Ducks,” Lynch said on LIDucks.com. “The Atlantic League product is one I am very attracted to as it places winning as a top priority. Combine that with a high level of play, great product for fans, a fantastic showcase for players, and it’s very easy to see why the league has had such great success.”
Born in Brooklyn and selected by the Texas Rangers in the 22 round of the 1977 MLB amateur draft, Lynch, 62, pitched in 248 MLB games (119 starts) over the course of eight campaigns, going 47-54 with a 4.00 ERA.
Lynch — who was a teammate of current Long Island skipper, Wally Backman — spent approximately seven seasons with the Mets, including 1986, during which New York traded him to the Chicago Cubs on June 30 after appearing in just one contest due to injury.
However, when the Mets won the World Series in 1986, his former teammates voted him a full World Series share in appreciation for all he had done for the team, according to internet sources.
Following his playing career, Lynch attended the University of Miami School of Law, where he graduated in 1991. He worked as a baseball scout and executive, eventually moving his way up to the Cubs hiring him as their General Manager in 1994, which he held that position until 2000.
Most recently, Lynch served as a Major League scout for the Toronto Blue Jays for six seasons (2010-15).
The Ducks kickoff their season on Friday, April 26, at the York Revolution’s PeoplesBank Park. Long Island opens its home schedule on Friday, May 4, against the same team.
