6-25-25
The Chihuahuas started the second half of their season tonight against the Space Cowboys. It was another big comeback win with a five-run eighth to give them a one-run lead. In the top of the ninth, Nate Mondou made an error that let on the tying run, but then he made an incredible catch on a little popup to end the game. 6-5 Chihuahuas.
A light rain was falling there in El Paso by the end of the game. We’d already had a big shower yesterday and earlier in the night here in Las Cruces. At 4:00am, another storm hit and dumped a huge amount rain on us. I’m only mentioning this because it’s the first good rain we’ve had here all year. We may have fireworks for the Fourth after all.
6-27-25
There was a price to be paid for that rain. The next night, the Chihuahuas were rained out. This necessitated a double header today with two seven-inning games. The pups were down 4-0 until the bottom of the fifth in Game 1, when they scored 6. The Space Cowboys came back with 3 in the sixth to retake the lead, but the Chihuahuas scored another 4 in the bottom of the sixth for the win, 10-7. A huge crowd filed in late in the game to cheer the team on. A light rain was reported at the end, but it didn’t affect Game 2, which was 11-5 loss, but the fans got an early Fourth of July fireworks show afterward.
The MLB.TV free game was audio-only between the D-Backs and the Marlins. (The fish won, 7-5.) During the game, one of the announcers incredulously gave the final score of the Orioles beating the Rays, 22-8. Even more amazing, the O’s were down 6-0 early in that one.
Meanwhile on Twitter, I noticed “Josh Jung” was trending. What did the Rangers’ player do or have happen to him? He went 0 for 6 tonight, and Rangers fans were furious with him and blaming him for the 7-6 loss to the Mariners. They wanted him sent down immediately.
6-28-25
I went over to dad’s to watch the MLB Free Game on Amazon Prime. Oddly, once again, it was a shutout involving the Yankees. This time is was the A’s winning, 7-0, over a phlegmatic Yankee team. The Yankees were not looking sharp in the field. I can hardly blame dad for keeping the TV on and watching Blue Lagoon while the game was on. At least in two weeks, you can go to the Stadium and get your Billy Joel bobblehead doll, according to the in-game Yankee promotion.
I went out to get lunch afterward. (Dad didn’t want to eat out today.) I got a Grilled Cheeseburger and Reese’s Concrete at Freddy’s. I walked over there, so I had an appetite, and it was all good. It was hot out, but not terrible, and there was a nice breeze blowing.
Back home, I joined the Rangers versus the Mariners in progress in the fourth. I was sort of glad I had missed most of the game as I started listening. The game was close, but the radio coverage was nearly unbearable. The station kept playing like six minutes of commercials between every inning. Not only was I missing the game in commercial, I was about to go nuts hearing that many commercials in a row.
All is forgiven (not really), because I got to hear the end. It was 2-2 going into extras. In the bottom of the tenth, the Rangers loaded the bases with one out and Marcus Semien singled in the winning run, 3-2 Rangers. Because of the spotty coverage and kind of lousy reception, I’m not sure if Josh Jung was playing today or not, as per the wishes of the fans.
While it was a beautiful day, storm clouds suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the evening. The first I noticed them was during the Chihuahuas’ radio broadcast and the constant static bursts. As the station powered down for sundown, it was almost impossible to listen to over the crackling. (It didn’t actually rain, though.) It was either that or watching a Mexican League game on TV, so I kept straining to listen. (The Dorados, wearing a purple NASCAR-looking uniform with advertising all over, including their posteriors, beat Aguascalientes, 8-6, who had two on with two out in the top of the ninth.)
I did hear a huge cheer from the crowd and broadcaster Tim Hagerty shouting in the eighth, as Clay Duncan’s home run broke the 5-5 tie with the Space Cowboys. The crowd also roared for a double play in the top of the ninth and for the final out for a 6-5 Chihuahuas victory. Bring on those fireworks!
6-29-25
Arugh! Today’s MLB Free Game was the Rangers and the Mariners and I was looking forward to it. I went over to the dad’s and brought up Amazon Prime and they weren’t offering the game today. I’m not getting consistent results with Prime’s live sports coverage. I also hadn’t brought my radio and I got stuck there waiting around to help dad do his laundry.
I hopped home after a couple of hours and didn’t bother going out for lunch. I caught up with the game in a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh. The game went to extras still tied. The broadcasters were curiously lifeless in the game call. This was the third extra innings game in row for the crew, so maybe they were a bit gassed.
The M’s took the lead in the tenth on an RBI single. Cal Raleigh was thrown out at the plate also trying to score on the play, but another RBI single right after brought in an insurance run. 3-1 M’s. Have no fear. Corey Seager “who’s in scoring position at the plate,” (as broadcaster Matt Hicks said) hit a two-run homer to answer and retie it. That woke the crowd and announcers up.
In the bottom of the eleventh, a good bunt got the Rangers’ automatic runner to third, however, Josh Jung struck out and a second strikeout ended the frame. In the top of the twelfth, a fielder’s choice brought in a run for the M’s for the lead. Jung was blamed for not throwing home on the play. I doubt he’s endearing himself to the increasingly hostile fans in Arlington today. Former Ranger, Mitch Garver, then pounded one into the second deck for a two-run homer to make it, 6-3 M’s.
This chases most of the large crowd away. The Rangers managed a sac fly run in the bottom, but the Mariners would win, 6-4. At least the radio signal was clear with no weirdness with the commercials. Broadcaster Eric Nadel gave the stat of the game: the Rangers were 2 for 15 with men in scoring position.
It was Chihuahuas versus Space Cowboys in the evening in what would be a great B-movie title. The pups had an early lead and nearly executed a triple play in the fourth inning. They only missed throwing out a runner at home, who scored. The team has never turned one, though they’ve had a few turned on them.
I thought I heard broadcaster Tim Hagerty report that a foul ball was caught by a fan who threw out the first pitch. Regardless, Tim knew him and the guy brought a glove. The Space Cowboys closed the score by the sixth, but Clay Duncan smashed a three-run shot to make it 7-3. They’d add on and win, 9-3, to go 5-1 in the second half of the season.
6-30-25
It was a marquee pitching matchup on the MLB.TV Free Game between phenom rookie Chase Burns of the Reds and ace Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox. That got blown up immediately as the Sox scored 6 in the first. I thought this wasn’t going to be much of a game. When Red Sox broadcaster, Lou Merloni, made a great play on a foul ball in the booth, I was worried that would be the play of the game.
The Reds did make a comeback and made a game of it. Still, the Red Sox kept scoring, too. Red Sox Wilyer Abreu hit a deep fly ball in the fifth. He admired it, thinking it was a home run. Instead, it hit a wall and took a weird bounce and one of the outfielders fell down going for it. Abreu stopped looking and got on his horse for an inside-the-park home run to make it, 8-4.
Abreu wasn’t done. He popped a grand slam in the eighth to finally put the game away. The Reds went directly to a position player to pitch and he got a strikeout. The Red Sox take it, 13-6. The broadcast crew spent the ninth comparing their tacky 70’s wardrobes for tomorrow’s 1975 tribute game.
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