7-8-25
The Chihuahuas were facing the Aviators for this week’s homestand. Las Vegas won the first half of the season, but they’re a way different team now. In the first inning, the pups loaded the bases. A run was walked in and then Forrest Wall hit a bases clearing double, before he was driven in. 5-0 Chihuahuas, which was a great way to start the game.
In the second inning, the pups loaded the bases again. Mason McCoy cashed them in with a grand slam. It was 9-0 and the big crowd loved it. The team tacked on another to make it 10-0. In the fifth, broadcaster Tim Hagerty made the call, “Bleday hits the fence and so does the ball!” That was a triple that was then doubled in for an 11-0 Chihuahua lead. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron pitched 7 shutout innings. It had rained earlier and it’s said that a knuckleball works better in humid weather. The Aviators scored 4 in the ninth, but the Chihuahuas won, 11-4.
7-9-25
I was watching an MLB game on Monday. The Giants beat the Phillies. I didn’t write about it, but it was a good close game. Yesterday, there was big clip of the Giants winning on a walk off inside-the-park home run. It was a great game call with announcer Duane Kuiper losing his voice. Today, the Giants lost 13-0 in a day game to the Phillies. So, who can predict baseball?
The MLB.TV Free Game was an afternoon game between the Rays at the Tigers. I joined with the Tigers having a 3-2 lead in the sixth with 2 outs. Manager AJ Hinch brought in a new pitcher, Chase Lee, with a runner at second. Lee gave up four straight hits, and then it was 6-3 Rays. Lee gave up a homer to start seventh and was pulled. The broadcasters said this was a very uncharacteristic performance. In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers loaded the bases with two outs, but Riley Greene struck out on two great pitches.
The Tigers lost, 7-3, but did win this series. Everyone there seemed to be having a good time, especially the broadcasters. There was a discussion late in the game about whether a hit was a double or a single and an error. Even the experts have trouble at times with the scoring. Something else that came up in the game was that was the 25-th anniversary of Comerica Park. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since it opened.
Also having a good time, broadcaster Tim Hagerty was joined by Carson Harper in calling tonight’s Chihuahuas versus Aviators game. I like Tim, but a dialogue is probably the better than a monologue for calling games. Like last night’s game, the pups jumped out with 3 runs in the second and 3 more in the third. Their starter, Jackson Wolf, went 6 innings and only gave up 1 run to the best hitting team in PCL. The top of the ninth had some drama. LV scored a couple and loaded the bases with two outs. The Chihuahuas had to bring in a new pitcher to end it with a strikeout with crowd behind him. 7-3 Chihuahuas final.
7-10-25
Native El Pasoan Daryl Hernaiz is playing for the Las Vegas Aviators. Chihuahuas’ Broadcaster Tim Hagerty has spoken to him. Hernaiz used to watch games at Southwest University Park as a kid. He’s had his own cheering section at this week’s games and admits to being a bit nervous.
Tonight was pretty much the Aviators’ and Hernaiz’s night. He scored two on a hit in the second and two more scored right after to give LV the early lead. In the third, Tim waxed poetic about a great fan catch in the stands. The guy didn’t even get up to make it. Tim said he had, “ice water in his veins.” Hernaiz then made a great play to save a run and end the fifth. He did have an error in the seventh, the Chihuahuas got two on and both scored. The final was 6-4 Aviators.
Tim did tell a story late in the game about a Chihuahuas forfeit win over the Isotopes. It was during the pup’s first season. The Isotopes had had a player suspended for the game, but brought up another player to replace him. No, when you have a player suspended, you have to play a player down. Tim called the league office the next day for clarification after the Isotopes won. The PCL investigated and wiped out the win, which helped the new Chihuahuas to a .500 season that year. I hope the team thanked Tim for that.
7-11-25
Today’s MLB.TV Free Game was a rivalry matchup between the Rangers vs Astros. I’m always happy to see the Rangers, especially for a rivalry game. The Rangers loaded the bases in the first. Evan Carter, who was denied on a challenge for a hit-by-pitch, drove in two on a single. The Rangers made Astros’ starter, Lance McCullers, throw over 30 pitches. The Astros are leading the AL West, but I barely knew most of the guys in their lineup.
In the third, Adolis Garcia homered. Jonah Heim doubled in two runs, though he got thrown out trying to turn it into a triple. (Did he forget he’s a catcher?) In the bottom, Josh Smith made a jump catch and threw across the diamond for a double play. Not bad for a guy who fell into the stands earlier and hurt his back. At 5-1 Rangers, they drove McCullers from the mound.
The Astros came back with a two-run homer in fourth to make it, 5-3. In the fifth, Jake Burger pulled up lame after a double play. He stayed in, but came out later. In the bottom, Ranger starter, Jack Leiter, got a strikeout with two on to end the inning.
In the seventh, Wyatt Langford shot a laser over the heads of the fans in the Crawford Boxes for two-run homer, 7-3. I was a bit concerned that the Rangers left the bases loaded in the eighth, but they finished it off with a 7-3 win. The crowd did get a fireworks display after the game. I think they opened the roof there in Houston. This led to the slightly surreal Rangers postgame show in the press box with fireworks going off behind them.
The Chihuahuas/Aviators game was start delayed for rain. In don’t know how much rain they got in El Paso, because I didn’t listen to much of the game. 7-3 was also the final there with the Aviators coming out ahead.
There was some bonus baseball with the Indians and the Bulls going into extra innings. The Bulls? It was the White Sox wearing their new red and black City Connect uniforms. Why did they get a new CC? They already had one of the best with their black with white pinstripes Southside uniforms.
It was 4-4 in the bottom of the tenth. An unassisted DP by the second baseman ended the inning with a man on third. I missed the rain drama in the top of the inning. It had cleared off when I started watching.
There was a great fan catch in the top of the eleventh. The broadcasters praised it and did a replay. A DP ended a bases loaded threat. The White Sox pitcher, Mike Vasil, left the mound pumped up. He’d worked the previous inning in the rain with a bases loaded threat. He might have also had a blister on his finger. In the bottom of the inning, the White Sox had a runner on third. The Indians pitcher whiffed on a little grounder back to him and the winning run scored. The pitcher crouched down on the ground and buried his face in this hands. 5-4, White Sox win.
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