El Paso Chihuahuas vs OKC Dodgers 9-23-22

It had taken nearly the whole season, but we finally got there.  Ron and two of my co-workers, Jacob and Chuck, went to a Chihuahuas game.  I’d gone with the co-workers three other times (8-11-15, 6-15-16, and 4-19-17), and I’d also been earlier this season on a company outing (7-16-22) with Ron. 

 

The team has had a good season and a nice bounce back from last year.  The Chihuahuas were in first place and playing in the team in second place, OKC Dodgers, and had a chance to clinch the division in this series.  They’d lost the first game of the series badly, but won the next two in one-run contests.  I’d missed a 9-8 day game on Wednesday and I’m still kicking myself.  Jay Groome pitched 8 innings the next day for a 3-2 victory.  Right now, the Chihuahuas were up two games on OKC. 

 

It was a heavy traffic trip to El Paso down the Interstate.  We got to the stadium way early, but they were doing a giveaway.  There haven’t been many this season.  I thought Ron would like the bucket hat, since he has a couple of others, so I picked this date.  There were already a bunch of people in line at gate.  I saw a lot of Chihuahuas, UTEP, and Dodger shirts and hats in the crowd.  

 

I’d warned Ron to leave his pocket knife behind, because he’d had to go back to his car with it on a couple on previous occasions.  Regrettably, I forgot to tell Chuck this.  He decided to leave his in a nearby pile of rocks.  Upon entry, we got our bucket hats.  Magnificent. 

 

Walking down the concourse, we passed our old friend, Tim Hagerty, the voice of the Chihuahuas.  I immediately waved and said, “Hi, Tim!”  His arms were full of food and he was hustling back to the booth and didn’t see me.  It also occurred to me that, while we are old friends from listening him on the radio, he doesn’t actually know me.     

 

We found our seats.  They were a couple of rows up from the field, next to the pup’s dugout, and directly in front of their bullpen.  I went to go get something to eat.  Everyone else would wait, but I was hungry.  I picked up the cheeseburger and fries meal with the souvenir cup.  (I forgot to get a picture of it, but it was nothing special.)  I had to wait in line for a while and it was expensive, but, gosh darn it, it was really good.  I can’t even explain it.  After finishing, I grabbed an ice cream cone.  Maybe pizza and a pretzel next time.

 

At the seats, I was crammed in between Chuck and Ron, who not small individuals.  Somehow, I got the meal down anyway and only screwed up once on the scorecard (but pretty badly).  The starting lineups were announced.  The starting pitcher, Pedro Avila, and his catcher, Brett Sullivan, were warming up right in front of us.  I yelled to them when their names were called out but to no avail.  On field, a pretty attendant was talking to a little boy.  She was rehearsing him, since he was saying “Play ball!” tonight.  Lastly, Chico came by.  I waved and called to him.  At last, somebody acknowledged my cheering. 

 

 Avila worked a quick top of the first to start the game.  The Dodgers were having a bullpen day, which kept me busy scoring (and I messed it up).  On the first batter of the bottom, rehabbing Kevin Pillar and the second baseman collided on a popup.  Everyone was okay.  The Chihuahuas then rattled off four straight hits.  Eguy Rosario drove in Brandon Dixon for the first run.  The bases were then loaded.  A foul ball went into the net right in front of us.  Balls and strikes were displayed on the video screen where the K-zone was calling them, so there was no ambiguity there.  The inning ended on a comebacker to the pitcher.  1-0 Chihuahuas.

 

Avila worked a quick second.  The Dodgers brought in a new pitcher in the second after facing two batters and Connor Hollis doubled.  Relief was not achieved as Dixon hit a three-run home run to center over the gateway, and CJ Hinojosa hit a two-run homer off the left field porch.  Upon replay, the ball hit above the rail and bounced back on to the field.  The Dodgers brought in a third pitcher to get the final out.  6-0 Chihuahuas.

 

In the top of the third, Avila gave up a leadoff walk and then a double.  He got two strikeouts and a ground out to end the threat.  In the bottom, Hollis drew a walk with three balls and a step off by the pitcher with no one on.  I had to explain that was an automatic ball.  The Dodgers brought in their fourth pitcher.  Dance Cam played the C&C Music Factory song, Sweat, during the break.  One guy really worked it and got a big hand from the crowd.

 

In top of the fourth, Chuck and Jacob got up to get a meal and Ron moved over.  I could finally breathe.  The guys ended up eating and watching the rest of the game at the stand at the top the section.  Jacob got the nachos in a dog bowl, which weren’t available at the beginning of the season as I heard from another co-worker. 

 

Avila gave up another walk and double in the inning.  Taylor Kohlwey in left made a great diving catch to end the inning.  He got an ovation from our section as he came back to the dugout.  Centerfielder Thomas Milone had the ball and tossed it to the crowd.  Tossed balls flew over our heads pretty consistently during the game.  The Chihuahuas went down quickly in the bottom. 

 

Jason Martin led off the top of the fifth with a home run to right center.  I was listening to Tim on the radio call, of course.  Upon replay, he didn’t think it had gone over the yellow line.  6-1 Chihuahuas.  Meanwhile, Avila racked up a couple more strikeouts.  In front of us, there was a kid playing a Dragonball Z video game.  I was momentarily mesmerized as a King Kamehameha attack went off.  The Chihuahuas only managed a walk in the bottom.

 

Before the sixth inning, there was Section Volleyball with a net strung up in the stands and fans slapping a ball back-and-forth.  A reliever was warming up in front of us, but Avila finished the inning with a strikeout.  That was his 122-nd of the season, ninth of the game, which set a Chihuahuas’ record.  The pups’ offense was still dormant in the bottom.  Pitcher Jesse Scholtens, who was guarding the catcher, chatted with the third base ump, Jose Navas, during the inning.  I didn’t realize players and umps were that friendly.

 

Ryan Weathers came in for the seventh.  He gave up a solo home run to center.  6-2 Chihuahuas.  For the Stretch, a bunch of kids from a baseball team behind us were singing.  This was followed with the dancing Chihuahua video and Mariachi music.  The camera found some fans dancing.  They invited a nearby Chico to join them.  There wasn’t any offense in the bottom.  Chihuahuas third base coach, Robbie Hammack, also chatted with Navas.  He must be a friendly guy.      

 

Another Chihuahuas’ reliever, Michel Baez, worked a clean eighth.  Before the bottom, Avila was recognized by the PA for setting the strikeout record.  He came out of the dugout and played to the crowd.  Bullpen catcher, Michael Cantu, stopped to give him a round of applause.  The Chihuahuas had leadoff walk, but that was all.  There’d been a little girl screaming and crying behind us for most of the game.  The family left and I can’t say I missed her.  A guy to the side of us got a tossed ball.  He tossed it right to a kid to a round of applause. 

 

Tom Cosgrove came in to pitch the top of the ninth.  He was checked out by Navas in a friendly manner before coming in.  Cosgrove got the first out by beating the runner to first after a comebacker.  He gave up a walk and a single, but finished off the game.  Chihuahuas win 6-2!

 

Pedro Avila is our easy player of the game, along with Brandon Dixon.  There were 6,000 in attendance and the game took two-and-a-half-hours.  On the way out, there was a group of fans around a TV chanting, “UTEP!”  We found out later that the Miner Football team had been playing Boise State in the Sun Bowl and beaten them.  They were 13-point underdogs.  After the game, Boise State fired their Offensive Coordinator and their quarterback transferred.  I was more surprised they were playing college football on a Friday night.      

 

It took a few minutes, but we did recover Chuck’s knife from the rocks.  I would have felt bad if we hadn’t found it.  It was a great night at the Dog House.  When Ron and I were at Aggie Football the next night, I kept checking up on the Chihuahuas.  They won a close 3-2 game to win their division.  They will be playing for the PCL Championship on Friday.  I’ll cover that result and a possible Triple-A Championship in another post.