AVON — During the Lake Erie Crushers’ run from Frontier League expansion team to 2009 league champions, a camera crew from ESPN was following the team and pitcher Josh Faiola.

The end result of that season-long project will air on ESPN’s investigative show, “E:60,” on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The network was drawn to the story of Faiola and his wife living at The Belvadere, a retirement facility in Westlake. They followed the pitcher and monitored not only what it was like to be the youngest resident in a retirement home, but also the trials and tribulations of a baseball player who was trying to salvage his professional career in an independent minor league.

During the season, Faiola got off to a rocky start as a starting pitcher and was rumored to be on the team’s chopping block at the midpoint of the season. However, after injuries and all-around poor performances forced Crushers manager John Massarelli to virutually start his bullpen over from scratch, Faiola agreed to be moved to the pen and found his niche.

Faiola pitched an inning during the wild 13-10 Game 5 victory over the River City Rascals to clinch the league championship.

Faiola went 3-7 with a 5.57 ERA and three saves during the regular season. He made 27 appearances, which included 10 starts. He struck out 40, walked 18 and held opponents to a .261 batting average.

In the postseason, Faiola went 1-0 with a 4.70 ERA in five appearances, all out of the pen. He struck out five and walked three and gave up 12 hits and four earned runs in 72/3 innings pitched.

It is unknown when the special will air as a rerun on ESPN’s family of networks.

Opening day set

The Crushers announced they will open their 2010 season at All Pro Freight Stadium on Friday, May 21, against the Traverse City Beach Bums.

The three-game series will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Friday and Saturday games will begin at 7:05 p.m., while Sunday’s game will begin at 5:05 p.m.

The weekend will also include a ceremony to officially recognize the Crushers as Frontier League champions, along with fireworks following Friday’s season opener and a special giveaway for fans in attendance.

The rest of the Crushers schedule will not be released until the spring, when individual game tickets also go sale. The team is currently selling 2010 season ticket packages. For more information on season tickets, fans can call 440-934-3636 or visit www.LakeErieCrushers.com.

Contact Dan Gilles at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

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