Aviators fly past Space Cowboys 8-4 to open homestand

The Las Vegas Aviators never gave up the lead as they defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 8-4 at Las Vegas Ballpark on Tuesday night.

Aviators starter Kyle Muller picked up the win in front of a crowd of 5,412 fans. His final line would be he gave up three runs, two of them earned, five walks, and six strikeouts in five innings of work. That earned him his second win of the season with Las Vegas.

Space Cowboys starter Misael Tamarez was tagged with his sixth loss of the season and he has yet to record a win. He allowed five runs, three walks, two home runs, and six strikeouts in just three innings of work.

The Aviators got off to a hot start. In the bottom of the first, Lawrence Butler hit a solo shot that landed beyond the center field wall to make it 1-0. Manny Pina then drew a walk, which set the stage for Conner Capel. He hit his sixth home run of the season to right field and gave Las Vegas a 3-0 lead to start the game.

In the third, Butler got things going again with a single. He advanced to second on a throwing error after a wild throw from the pitcher in a pickoff attempt. Manny Pina singled before Yohel Pozo drew a walk to load the bases. (In case you missed it, Pozo was also named a Pacific Coast Player of the Week for his play last week.) Capel singled to bring in one run while a sacrifice fly from Trenton Brooks scored another run to make it 5-0 through three innings.

Sugar Land tried to make a dent in the lead and sent seven batters to the plate in the top of the fourth. Three were able to come home to score. However, the Aviators continued to tack on to its lead. Greg Diechmann hit a home run to center field to add one run. In the fifth, Brooks hopped aboard with a single before a pair of ground outs moved him into scoring position. He scored after Butler hit a single to right to give Las Vegas a 7-3 lead through five innings.

In the seventh, Brooks hit a solo home run for the last Las Vegas run of the night to make it 8-3. In the next half of the frame, Jon Singleton answered back with a solo home run of his own but it wasn’t enough as the Aviators kept the Space Cowboys off the board for the rest of the game to seal the 8-4 victory.

Both teams are back in action at Las Vegas Ballpark on Wednesday night.

Late-inning rally leads Las Vegas to 7-6 win

The Las Vegas Aviators (26-31) split the homestand with the El Paso Chihuahuas (26-31) after a late-inning rally leads to a 7-6 win at the Las Vegas Ballpark on Sunday afternoon. Each team came away with three wins and three losses.

Sunday’s contest meant Aviators reliever Rico Garcia picked up his first win of the season after striking out one and walking a batter in one inning of work. Chihuahuas closer Angel Felipe drops to 0-2 on the season with his third blown save. In just a third of an inning, he allowed two hits on one run while striking out one.

Monday is an off day for the Pacific Coast League. Las Vegas then travels to California for a six-game road trip to face the Sacramento River Cats. The team will be back at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 13 for a six-game homestand against the Reno Aces.

Here’s how things went down on Sunday. The first runs of the game came in the third inning. El Paso’s Kevin Plawecki homered to left to make it 1-0. Matthew Batten then doubled and moved to third on a grounder. Jose Azocar then double to score Batten. Azocar came home on a Preston Tucker single.

Facing a 3-0 hole, Las Vegas started chipping away at the lead. In the third, Kyle McCann hit a solo homer, which extended his hitting streak to 12 games. In the fourth, back-to-back singles put two on for Zack Gelof. He then singled to bring in a run. In the fifth, it was McCann once again who hit yet another home run to tie the game at three.

The Aviators took its first lead of the game in the next frame. Thomas continued adding on to his hits for the day by knocking a triple to right. By the end of the game, Thomas went 4-5 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. A sac fly then scored him. That’s when Gelof had a long fly ball deep to center for a home run and the 5-3 lead.

El Paso’s Plawecki and Batten started the offense up again in the seventh by leading off with a double and single. A double from Taylor Kohlwey brought in one run while a Brett Sullivan double brought it two more to give the Chihuahuas the 6-5 lead.

However, Las Vegas fought back in the bottom of the ninth and took advantage of several El Paso errors. Max Schuemann was hit by a pitch. Kevin Smith then struck out swinging but was able to reach safely after a bad throw. It also allowed Schemann to make it to third. Smith then stole second to put the winning run into scoring position. A fielder’s choice allowed Jordan Diaz to reach safely and Schuemann was able to score to tie the game. That gave Thomas another moment to shine with a walk-off RBI single to win the game.

Las Vegas lands 11-8 win over El Paso

In a back-and-forth battle with the lead changing hands five times, it was the Las Vegas Aviators (25-31) who came out on top over the El Paso Chihuahuas (26-30). Las Vegas brought home the 11-8 win in front of 9,046 fans at Las Vegas Ballpark Saturday night.

Aviators reliever Chase Cohen picked up his first win of the season. He allowed three hits on three runs in one inning of work. Reliever Garrett Acton also got his second save of the season with no runs, no hits, and one walk in one inning. Chiahuahuas reliever Jared Koenig was tagged with his second loss of the season. In one inning, he allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout.

The teams will return to Las Vegas Ballpark on Sunday to wrap up the series and the last game of the homestand. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.

El Paso got on the board first with a solo home run by Brett Sullivan in the second. However, Las Vegas got its first lead of the night in the bottom half of the frame. Zack Gelof singled and stole second before Max Schuemann and Kevin Smith drew walks to load the bases. With ducks on a pond, Trenton Brooks cleared the bases with a line drive double to right field. That’s when Jordan Diaz stepped into the box and belted a double to left to bring in Brooks and end the inning with the Aviators up 4-1.

The Chihuahuas fought to tie the game up in the third. Rangel Ravelo kicked things off with a solo shot to left. Matthew Batten and Jose Iglesias both singled to set the stage for Tim Lopes. His single to left was deep enough to bring both Batten and Iglesias around the bases to score and knot things up at four.

That’s when the lead changed hands again. Yohel Pozo doubled and then moved to third on a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Schuemann then plated Pozo with a double to center to give Las Vegas a 5-4 lead.

In the fifth, back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Aviators. A fly ball was deep enough to bring in one run. However, the other two runners would be stranded after two batters struck out.

Both teams added runs in the sixth with Las Vegas leading 7-5. However, El Paso took the lead by bringing three runs across in the seventh. A Lopes single and a Sullivan double meant two runners were on base for Taylor Kohlwey. He hit a home run to right center field to clear the bases and make it 8-7.

However, the lead was short-lived as Gelof singled before Tyler Soderstrom hit his own home run to put Las Vegas back on top 9-8. Those two also scored in the bottom of the eighth after Gelof walked and Soderstrom hit his second home run of the night. The Las Vegas bullpen was able to close it out and the Aviators won 11-8.

Six-run sixth propels Aviators to 10-4 win over the Chihuahuas

The Las Vegas Aviators were able to hit the afterburners with a six-run sixth inning and ultimately tame the El Paso Chihuahuas 10-4 Friday night. The win improves the Aviators record to 24-31 while the Chihuahuas drop to 26-29.

Las Vegas reliever Francisco Perez picked up the win to improve to 1-1 this season after pitching 1.2 innings allowing one hit and no runs while striking out two. El Paso reliever Jake Sanchez was tagged for the loss to fall to 1-1 this season after giving up six runs on six hits while striking out one in just one inning of work.

The teams will return to Las Vegas Ballpark on Saturday night for the fourth game of this six-game series. Saturday is also Margaritaville Night and the first 2,000 fans will receive a sunhat.

For the first time this homestand, Las Vegas was the first team to bring runners home. In the bottom of the first, Tyler Wade drew a walk followed by a Kevin Smith single. Conner Capel then belted a single to left field to score Wade and move Smith to third. A sac fly would plate Smith to make it 2-0.

That’s where the score would stay until El Paso tied things up in the fourth. Preston Tucker and Tim Lopes hopped aboard with a walk and a single. The two moved up 90 feet due to a wild pitch to put runners on second and third. A fielder’s choice led to Tucker being thrown out at home and Jantzen Witte reaching first safely to put runners on the corners. Witte then stole second. A passed ball brought Lopes home and allowed Witte to move up to third. Witte later scored on a ground out.

However, Las Vegas regained the lead in the bottom half. Once again, it was Wade who started things off by taking a free ride and walking. He moved to second on a ground out before stealing third base. A double from Capel scored Wade to give Las Vegas a 3-2 advantage.

The lead changed hands once again in the sixth. Back-to-back line drives to left field put Lopes and Witte on the corners for El Paso. Witte stole second. Lopes came in on a sac fly while a David Dahl double scored Witte.

Facing a 4-3 deficit, the Aviators offense took off scoring six runs in the home half of the inning. Kyle McCann got things started with a double to center before Max Schuemann was hit by a pitch. The two moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt. That’s when Kevin Smith stepped into the box and belted a single to left that brought McCann and Schuemann all the way around. Smith was picked off but that set the stage for Capel who doubled followed by Cody Thomas who ripped his fifth triple of the year. The Aviators weren’t done scoring yet. That was thanks to back-to-back jacks from Dermis Garcia, who had a perfect night at the plate going 3-3, and Jordan Diaz.

With a 9-4 lead, Las Vegas added one more run for good measure in the bottom of the eighth. Smith doubled followed by a single from Capel who singled to put ducks on a pond. A sacrifice fly scored Smith and that would be the last run to cross the plate and give the Aviators a 10-4 victory.

Las Vegas tries to rally but drops third in a row to El Paso

Late-inning rallies weren’t enough to spark a comeback as Las Vegas (23-31) dropped the third game in a row to El Paso. (26-28). The final score of this one was 12-2.

With the win, Chihuahuas reliever Reiss Knehr improves to 4-1 after allowing one hit and striking out four through three innings. Aviators starter Adrian Martinez drops to 0-3 on the season after giving up four runs on six hits while striking out two through two innings of work.

The Aviators and Chihuahuas will return to face each other once again Friday night with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. Fans who get there early enough will also be able to pick up a crossbody bag.

For the third night in a row, El Paso struck first. Martinez looked solid on the mound for Las Vegas and got struck two batters out to start the frame. A fielding error allowed Alfonso Rivas to reach first safely. Preston Tucker then hit a line drive that nailed Martinez in the foot. Trainers came out to check on him, he took a few warmup pitches, and he stayed in the game. A double by Brett Sullivan scored two. Sullivan came in to score on a Jantzen Witte single to make it 3-0.

The Chihuahuas added a run in the single with Tim Lopes hitting a single to right. He would score on a double from Jose Iglesias. With a four-run lead, El Paso added another five runs in the fifth thanks to five hits including home runs by Preston Tucker, which leaping Las Vegas outfielder Cody Thomas was inches away from catching, and Taylor Kohlwey.

El Paso extended the lead in the sixth. Rivas and Tucker hit back-to-back singles to put two people aboard for Jantzen Witte. He hit a deep home run that splashed down in the pool beyond the wall in right center field. That would give the Chihuahuas a 12-0 lead.

Las Vegas was scrappy in the eighth and was looking to avoid a shutout. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Kyle McCann, Kevin Smith, and Trenton Brooks brought one run across to score. Then, Thomas hit a ground ball deep in the pocket between first and second base that allowed him to reach first safely while scoring Smith.

The Aviators had another scoring chance in the bottom of the ninth. Zach Gelof hit a double down the left field line and moved to third on a ground out. However, a strike out and ground out ended the game as Las Vegas dropped the third game of the homestand to El Paso 12-2.

Chihuahuas run away with game 2 against Aviators 20-5

An El Paso Chihuahuas hit parade, led by second baseman Jose Iglesias, powered the squad past the Las Vegas Aviators 20-5 Wednesday night. By the end of the night, Iglesias went 5-7, including three home runs and two doubles with eight RBIs.

The Aviators drop to 23-30 on the season while the Chihuahuas are now 25-28.

Las Vegas is currently looking for its first win of the homestand. The Aviators will once again try to tame the Chihuahuas on Thursday night, which is also $2 beer night.

In the first, Iglesias hit a solo home run. However, the Aviators evened the score in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, second baseman Zack Gelof got the party started with a single up the middle. Conner Capel single to left to put two on for Max Schuemann. Schuemann’s single to left was able to plate Gelof.

The Chihuahuas raced ahead in the third by batting through the order as Las Vegas starter Adam Oller struggled to get an out. Matthew Batten singled to right, advanced to second, and scored on a double by Iglesias. Alfonso Rivas drew a walk followed by back-to-back singles from Preston Tucker and Brett Sullian. With Iglesias scoring, the score was 3-1. That set the stage for third baseman Jantzen Witte who then hit a grand slam to clear the bases and make it 7-1.

El Paso added two more in the top of the fourth. Batten singled before Iglesias hit his second home run of the night giving the Chihuahuas a 9-1 lead.

Las Vegas added a run in the home half. Cody Thomas led off with a double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. A ground out moved him to third before Gelof hit his second single of the night to bring Thomas home.

Despite the Aviators’ offense showing signs of life, El Paso continued to tally up runs by batting through the order in the fifth and plating another six. That included Iglesias who got his second double of the night. By the fifth inning, he had gone 4-4 with six RBIs. Witte also had two singles this inning and he also had six RBIs through five. El Paso ended the top of the fifth leading 15-2.

Las Vegas was able to add one in the home half as El Paso reliever Nick Duron tried to find the strike zone. With two outs, Brooks walked and scored on a double from Yohel Pozo. Duron then walked Cody Thomas and Tyler Soderstrom to load the bases. However, an infield fly ball was the third out and ended the Aviators scoring threat.

In the sixth, Chihuahuas catcher Kevin Plawecki hit a solo home run to make it 16-3. El Paso added another four runs in the eighth to make it 20-3. However, it also included a position player pitching alert thanks to Aviators catcher Yohel Pozo. He faced seven batters and only gave up three hits with pitches that were as slow as 38 miles per hour.

However, the Aviators tried to turn on the afterburners to put more runs on the board. Gelof hopped aboard with a single before McCann brought them both in with a two-run home run past the seats in the left field.

Those would be the last runs to cross the plate with the final score: El Paso 20 – Las Vegas 5.

Las Vegas drops series opener to El Paso 15-14

The Las Vegas Reyes De Plata fought hard but lost to the El Paso Margaritas 15-14 at Las Vegas Ballpark Tuesday night in what was the team’s longest game of the season. The game ended up going just five minutes shy of four hours.

In the first, it was the Margaritas who got the party started. Second baseman Matthew Batten led off with a single to right field. He beat the throw on a strike-them out, throw-them out play to reach second safely. Batten eventually came around to score on a single to left from first baseman Alfonso Rivas.

El Paso added onto its lead in the third as Las Vegas starter Aaron Wilkerson struggled to escape the inning without giving up any runs. Jose Iglesias singled to lead off the third inning. Because Wilkerson was taking too long on the mound, the pitch clock expired for ball four to Alfonso Rivas. Wilkerson then walked Tim Lopes to load the bases. A 4-6-3 double play led to two outs but also brought around Iglesias to score. Wilkerson then gave up a single to Yorman Rodriguez before walking David Dahl. That would end his night as the Reyes De Plata brought in Colin Peluse who struck out Michael Cantu. Heading to the home half, El Paso was leading 3-0.

However, Las Vegas looked to chip away at that lead. Max Schuemann and Trenton Brooks hit back-to-back doubles in the left field corner to put ducks on a pond. A ground out scored Schuemann while Brooks and Cody Thomas were stranded on the base paths to make it 3-1.

Reyes De Plata catcher Yohel Pozo came in to pinch hit and eventually take over catching duties from Tyler Soderstrom. That’s after Soderstrom took a foul ball off the bat of David Dahl to a sensitive area in the top of the second inning. He was down for a few minutes while trainers checked him but he was able to stay in the game to finish the inning.

In the top of the fourth, El Paso center fielder Luis Liberato drew a walk and moved to third on a double by Jose Iglesias. A sac fly allowed Liberato to score while a single by Tim Lopes brought Iglesias in to make it 5-1. (Aviators fans might know that Lopes is the brother of former Aviators player Christian Lopes.)

Vegas rallied in the fourth to knot things up at five. It started with a towering home run to right center field courtesy of Conner Capel to make it 5-2 and extend Capel’s hitting streak to eight straight games. First baseman Kyle McCann then drew a walk followed by three singles up the middle, which brought McCann and two other runners in to tie the game.

That offensive explosion led El Paso to send reliever Nabil Crismatt to the mound to face Las Vegas in the fifth. The Reyes De Plata got its first lead of the night in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Capel hit a double before coming in to score on a base hit from McCann to make it 6-5 Las Vegas. Tyler Wade hopped aboard with a walk and the pair both moved into scoring position after Crismatt threw a wild pitch. A sac fly from Schuemann moved the two up another 90 feet to bring McCann home making it 7-5. However, a strikeout ended the inning and ended Crismatt’s night.

El Paso looked to chip away at the Las Vegas lead in the seventh and eventually batted around sending 10 batters to the plate and bringing in four more runs to go ahead 9-7 heading to the seventh inning stretch. That was due to a combo of four hits and Las Vegas reliever Rico Garcia struggling to find the strike zone by walking three batters.

In the home half of the frame, Schuemann hopped aboard with a single. A single from Trenton Brooks moved him into scoring position before he made it home on an RBI single from Jordan Diaz.

However, El Paso got that run back in the next frame with a solo shot to the right field concourse courtesy of Taylor Kohlwey to make it 10-8. With one out, Dahl drew a walk, moved up on a fielder’s choice, and scored on an RBI single from Liberato. After giving up the single to Liberato, Las Vegas reliever Domingo Acevedo, who started the inning, left the game with an apparent injury, which led to Francisco Perez coming in to pitch. El Paso batted through the order adding four more runs to have a 15-8 advantage heading to the bottom of the eighth.

Las Vegas looked to chip away at the lead. Two walks and a single loaded the bases before a fielder’s choice brought in a run. That’s when Trenton Brooks stepped into the box before absolutely sending a shot over the right field wall to clear the bases and make it 15-13 heading to the ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Pozo stepped into the box and hit a solo home run to put Las Vegas just one run off the lead. However, it wasn’t enough as a pair of strikeouts ended the game.

Las Vegas’ losing streak goes to three games following a disappointing road trip that saw the squad go 4-8 against the Salt Lake Bees and Tacoma Rainiers. Both teams will return to the Las Vegas Ballpark for another epic battle on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Avengers Assemble: Article Phase Two

With the sports world coming to a standstill, my freelance work has dried up and it’s given me the opportunity to brainstorm things to write for this blog. About four years ago, I wrote a blog post about what the Avengers would look like if they ever fielded a baseball team. A lot of Marvel movies have come out since that last post expanding the universe and expanding the players available to add to the roster. So here is my second look at the Avengers as they take on Hydra at the Avengers Facility in upstate New York.

The Avengers Lineup

1. SS Black Panther

2. CF Captain Marvel

3. 3B Spiderman

4. C M’Baku

5. 1B Doctor Strange

6. LF Ant-Man

7. 2B Rocket

8. RF Star-Lord

9. P Drax The Destroyer

Manager: Shuri

Assistant Coach: Gamora

Officials:

Field Umpires Dora Milaje

Home Plate Umpire Okoye

So why this particular lineup? Leading off is T’Challa aka Black Panther who is playing short. Not only is he fast and strong, he’s an expert tracker and acrobat which allows him to reach balls that most people could never be able to get to. If a play is even close, he could use his vibranium claws or his energy dagger to get the ball. Opponents don’t even have a chance.

(Courtesy: Marvel/Tumblr)

Next we have Captain Marvel in center field. She can fly and fly fast being able to reach any ball in the air which allows her to take away home runs left and right. It also helps that she has pre-cognitive hallucinations which allow her to see where the ball might go before it’s even hit. If for some reason she can’t reach a ball, she can always zap them with her photonic light beams.

(Courtesy: Marvel/Mashable India/Tanzim Pardiwalla)

Batting third and holding down the hot corner is Spider-Man. He might not know a ton about baseball, as he claims in the Marvel short below, but he can always use the combo of his spidey sense and his webs to get any ground balls that might come his way. Who knows? Maybe The Tinkerer is behind it.

Next we have M’Baku who is catching and batting cleanup. He might not always agree with the Black Panther but they come together to do battle on the field. He is strong and can definitely create a wall to stop any pitch. Runners don’t even try to run on his arm. Live look at the very thought of people trying to steal on him:

(Courtesy: Marvel/Tumblr)

Playing first base and batting fifth is Doctor Strange. Stephen Strange might not have super strength but he does have martial arts training which helps him stretch to make the plays in time. He can also utilize his Cloak of Levitation to catch errant throws or bring out the Eye of Agamotto to reverse time to see where the ball is going before it has been thrown. Heck. He could use mandalas of light to make the ball disappear but can you imagine the amount of baseballs they would go through?

(Courtesy: Marvel/Pinterest)

In left field and batting sixth is Ant-Man.  So why would you put Ant-Man in the outfield? Because he can change size at will. You know Giant-Man could catch any fly ball hit to him.

(Courtesy: Marvel/Tumblr)

At second base, we have Rocket Raccoon. This is the weakest spot in the Marvel lineup on the field. He might not be the tallest or fastest player but he is skilled with strategy and he’s a master with weapons. With his temper, who’s to say he won’t shoot the ball out of the sky? He’s also the king of trash talk so prepare to be insulted. (Just don’t call him a raccoon.)

(Courtesy: Marvel/Tenor.com)

Two members of Guardians of the Galaxy round out the lineup with Peter Quill aka Star-Lord in right field and Drax The Destroyer on the mound. Quill can fly using his jet boots to reach fly balls and Drax has superhuman strength allowing him to throw the ball hard as he faces Hydra’s batters. Not to mention, he’s great at defense so don’t hit it to him.

(Courtesy: Marvel/Giphy)

The team is managed by Shuri who is one of the smartest people in the Marvel universe so it’s safe to say she will have great strategies to lead the team to victory. Her assistant coach is Gamora who knows how to keep the other Guardians of the Galaxy in line and being a daughter of Thanos, she might have some insight into how to beat Hydra.

The Dora Milaje are the umpires at first and third with Okoye calling balls and strikes behind home plate. They are just, fair, and aren’t afraid to defend their calls.

So there you have it. It’s yet another baseball lineup inspired by the Avengers. Who knows? By the time Marvel finishes Phase Four, there might be even more characters to bring together. But for now, enjoy the team mascot: Baby Groot.

(Courtesy: Marvel/Giphy)

Farewell Globe Life Park

This weekend is the last weekend that the Texas Rangers are playing in Globe Life Park which will always be The Ballpark In Arlington to me. It’s easy for some to say that it’s not a big deal because the Rangers are just moving across the street and Globe Life Park will remain standing but with the move, it brings up a lot of memories and means saying goodbye to a special place.

I went to my first game at The Ballpark In Arlington in 1995 and fell in love with the park mainly because I got to see my heroes Rusty Greer and Ivan Rodriguez play. I went to countless games and events there over the years. I was in the Dr. Pepper Junior Rangers club and got to hear players speak including Rusty Greer. My family would get to the games early and go to the Legends Of The Game Baseball Museum at the park or we would go to the restaurant at the top of the stadium where we would have an early dinner and watch batting practice. My Little League team went to a game when I was about 8 years old and Tom Grieve gave us a shoutout on the TV broadcast which is still on VHS tape somewhere in the depths of my parent’s house. One Fourth Of July, my family won tickets from a local radio station to go to the game. They were on the highest row of the highest section in the park. I remember my dad joking that they were nosebleed seats and in the fifth inning, my brother got a nosebleed. Another game, we brought my grandpa who was a huge fan of Michael Young. We got to the game early and stood beside the field when Michael Young came over and signed my grandpa’s hat. To this day, it’s one of his prized possessions that’s displayed inside his house and every time someone asks about it, he lights up happy to talk about it.

My first season working in Minor League Baseball was with the Frisco RoughRiders. One of our players was called up to the Majors with the Rangers. Me and two other employees went to see him pitch in his second MLB start. That was such a special experience to see someone I had worked with a few weeks earlier fulfill his dream to play in the Majors. My very first job interview for a full-time job in baseball was with the Texas Rangers. I was so nervous sitting in those offices and meeting people who worked there. One of the people I met there was Richard Durrett who was such a wonderful person who always stopped to answer questions from a young reporter trying to make their way in this business. During the 2012 season, I also took a tour of the ballpark and met Ron Washington and Joe Nathan.

The park itself is beautiful especially driving off the Interstate up to the red brick facade. I could honestly go on and on and on about this ballpark and why it’s so special. To me, it’s not just all of the wonderful memories from games or being able to watch my favorite players do their thing. It’s the place where my love of baseball was born and being able to share that love of the game is probably what led me to a career in baseball. So with that, goodbye Globe Life Park. You have been a special part of my life for the better part of 20 years and you will be missed.

Update

Hey guys. A few of you have reached out and asked if I’m still writing. I am but we are currently in-season which means I don’t have as much time to devote to my personal blog. However, you can check out my stories on our team blog, The Purple Slope, on Medium.com. The link to a few pieces are below:

Todd Isaacs: Baseball With A Bahamian Flair

Blair Calvo’s Baseball Journey

Colin Simpson: Keeper Of The Game

Brenton Doyle’s Doubters Fuel His Fire For Baseball

Mitchell Kilkenny Living The Dream In First Season

Grand Junction Perfect Fit For Keegan James

Blaine Beatty And The Trip From San Jac To Suplizio