Names, action and fun!

When players for the other teams get called to bat, we think the names are so unusual.  Gwinett Braves called Ruben Gotay (pronounced go-tie), Jose Yepez and Ernesto Mejia (pronounced may ee yah) - unusual names, right?  But we take for granted the names of some of our players - such as:  Xavier Paul, Jim Negrych, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Yunesky Maya, Koyie Hill and (my favorie name) - Atahaulpa Severino.  Nothing unusual there, right?

The game started out with Syracuse scoring 3 runs in the first inning!!  The guys looked pretty sharp in their red jerseys with white pants.  It was Little League night and the 300 level was packed!  More fans attended than the night before for fireworks!  Speaking of which, I have to say I think that was the best fireworks show I have ever seen at Alliance Bank Stadium! 

Jersey raffle was for Keven Mench.

Under a seemingly black sky with a crescent moon, there was much action and fun to be had at last night's game...

I had just finsihed joking with one of the other season ticket holders, telling his wife that when she wasn't there the night before, her husband was on the dugout dancing with Schooch.  I told her this because when she and her husband arrived last night, her husband started dancing with Schooch as he was walking by.  She was feigning embarrassment, but enjoyed it nonetheless.  So just as I was joking about dancing on the dugout, a girl climbs right up there with Schooch and starts dancing!!  This is the third time in two weeks that this has happened.  Two times it was kids, but one night it was an intoxicated male.  We have to laugh, though, because that's the fastest (and the most) we ever see the ushers move!!  Two of them rushed to the dugout to get the girl off.  Not a big deal?  Well, it would be if someone fell from the dugout.  They tell us it's a 12 foot drop to concrete.  Yikes!!!

Our first base player for last night's game was Chris Marrero, number 35.  The Braves have a player who plays left field whose name is Christian Marrero and his number is 33.  I just find things like that very interesting.

Brett Carroll (right field) made an amazing catch last night.  Landed on his belly and must have slid 2 feet - love it!!

One of the Braves players lost his bat as it flew from his hands and went into the crowd somewhere in between home plate and third base.  The security guy collected the bat from the fan and the crowd boo'ed.  Security gave the bat to our bat boy and he returned it to the batter.  One of the Braves handed the batter another bat and he discarded the returned bat for the new one.  Then we watched as the Security guy walked down to the Chiefs dugout and the bat boy handed him a bat.  Security then proceeded to walk back up to the fan and give him the bat from the Chiefs dugout.  The crowd cheered.

Some highlights:

Seth Bynum had a pretty good night last night (good to see)...he hit a ball that may have only been a double, but man, was he running!!!!  He made it safely to third :)

Mark Teahen stole second base and slid in right before being tagged.  Then he stole 3rd base!!  Then he scored on a fly ball by Koyie Hill.  His run home was followed by a slide into third base by Brett Carroll (his second belly slide of the night)!

I have to recap the bottom of the 8th inning...

The action in the 8th started with bases loaded and Seth Bynum getting walked, resulting in a run being walked in, bringing our score to 8 and bases loaded with only one out.  Then Hoffpauir hit a single resulting in another run - now 9 runs.  Erik Komatsu hit a single resulting in an out at 2nd base and leaving runners on 1st and 3rd and scoring a run - now 10 runs, 2 outs.  Corey Brown enters to pinch hit for Atahaulpa and the count is 3 balls, 2 strikes, 2 outs and two men on base.  Corey hits right in the gap in outfield and Seth Bynum scores, leaving runners on 1st and 2nd - now 11. 

Next up:  Xavier Paul up and during his 14 pitches, the runners stole to 2nd and 3rd; after a swing at one of the pitches the ball or bat somehow smacked X's knee and he was doing some limping and had to try and walk it off, he smashed the ball to right field and his bat broke into about 4 pieces!  That single resulted in a run - now 12.  Zach Duke came in to run for Xavier (knee still hurt).  Chris Marrero up  and out at first, ending the inning. Chiefs scored 6 of their 12 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning!! 

Henry Rodriguez came in to close the game and sweetly enough, it was a 1, 2, 3 top of the ninth.  Ending score 12-4, making this the sixth straight win for the Chiefs, putting them a game over 500 for the first time this season.

Mark Teahen was interviewed post game.  His highlights were:  2 doubles and 2 steals for 2 runs.  Not bad!  Go Mark T!!!!

I'm very glad to have been there to see it. 

Robert Frost said:  "As I say, I never feel more at home in America than at a ball game.  Be it in the park or in sandlot.  Beyond this I know not.  And dare not."