Baseball Journal: Dog Days

 

4-14-26

The Chihuahuas lost a day game to worst team in the PCL, Round Rock.    They had a lead, but coughed it up late.    Without any other baseball at night, I thought to see if the Las Vegas Aviators were playing.    This was because I’d remembered our new Aggie radio voice, Russ Langer, was their broadcaster.    They were playing and Russ was very excited calling a double no-hitter through the first 5 innings.    The Aviators won, 3-1, on only 3 hits.    Reno had only 1 hit and they took out their starting pitcher, who had pitched 5 hitless innings.

4-17-26

At Round Rock tonight, the Chihuahuas homered three times in four pitches to tie score at 7 in the fifth inning.    It was a real back-and-forth game.    The Express did retake the lead later and win, 9-7.    There was a bizarre play in the eighth.    There was a dropped flyball on the infield with an Express runner on.    The batter was called out on the infield fly rule, though Marcus Castanon dropped the ball.    The runner tagged up and took off and made it to the next base.    Everyone was confused, including Tim Hagerty on the game call.    Castanon ended up taking an error on the play.   

4-21-26

It was a great game between the Chihuahuas and the Aces tonight.    Unfortunately, I had to take two long phone calls, had a bunch of work, and I was watching an Internet show.    Broadcaster Tim Hagerty had a co-host for the game, Ian Napetian.    He was at the final A’s game in Oakland.    I was listening to that one on the radio (9-27-24).

The big news in the game was actually an opposing player, Ivan Melendez.    He’s an El Pasoan and had a lot of local support.    His nickname is “The Hispanic Titanic.”    The PA obligingly gave him walkup music, the theme to Titanic.   

The game was tied late, 6-6.    In spite of the drama, Tim and Ian were having a discussion about Tim never eating a hot dog or mac and cheese.    His excuse about those being fancy foods did not hold water.    They really should have a two-man booth all the time.    Chihuahuas took the lead in the eighth with a 12-batter, 9-hit, 7-run inning.    They’d win it, 13-6.

4-22-26

It was 11-4 Chihuahuas to start the eighth in their day game against the Aces.    By the end of the inning, it was 11-11.    El Paso native, Ivan Melendez, tied it with a solo home run.    You could hear his friends and family there cheering for him.  The pups loaded the bases in the bottom with one out, but strikeouts ended it.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Chihuahuas left a runner at second.    To the tenth and I had to leave for work.    I heard the end on the way there.    The first batter in the bottom of the tenth homered to give the Chihuahuas a 13-11 win (with the automatic runner on).    It sounded like there was a good crowd there at the end, so maybe it wasn’t a Kids day.    (They usually have to leave well before the end.)

4-23-26

After hitting a game-tying homer yesterday, El Paso native, Ivan Melendez, was released by the Aces and sent down to Double A.    He’d bought tickets for friends and family for the weekend.    Today, he’d scheduled a press conference with the local media, who wanted to talk to him.    He didn’t show up for it, obviously.    The Chihuahuas beat the Aces, 8-5, after almost losing an early 6-0 lead.    The team turned 4 double plays in the game.

4-25-26

Mason McCoy tied it with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the ninth, but the Chihuahuas lost, 7-6 in the tenth to the Aces.

4-29-26

Revenge on the Isotopes in Albuquerque.    The Chihuahuas won on Tuesday, 16-2, in front of the big crowd.    The fans booed a lot in that one. The Chihuahuas won a tight one on Wednesday, 7-6.  They’d had a 5-0 early lead, but the Isotopes got back in it.

Today was a day game with a bunch of school kids.    There was some early drama with the pup’s coach arguing with the third base ump on a play at the base.    This was dramatic because these two had argued on two calls last night.    No ejections though.

There was a slightly embarrassing moment for Tim Hagerty broadcasting in the fifth inning with the Chihuahuas up, 2-0, and runners on for the Isotopes.    The manager had gone out to get the pitcher and the broadcast went to commercial.    Tim came back on said there’d been a plot twist.    The new pitcher was announced, but the manager had left the original pitcher on the mound in and he’d just given up an RBI hit when the coverage came back on.    Tim had to vamp while the new pitcher came in to warm up.       

Forecast high winds showed up at the end of the game.    Dust forced players in the dugout to seek shelter.    The kids had left well before this and before the Chihuahuas had piled it on for a 12-2 win.    That’s four in a row for the pups.

I hate to admit this, but it’s really sucked not being able to watch Major League Baseball this season.    I’ve gotten to listen to a couple of Rangers games on the radio with some poor reception.    I keep missing the MLB games that are on a Mexican station on Sundays.    Losing the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day has been devastating.    I love the Chihuahuas, but I don’t know how much I’ll writing about baseball for the rest of the season.