Go BCC Blue Jays!: Resourceful Jays Rewarded

The Blue Jays organization was rewarded for its agility and resourcefulness on Friday, May 10, at Norwood Park.

The game was moved up to Friday because the forecast called for rain to wipe out a second consecutive Sunday. Despite a pregame thunderstorm and a soft field, the Blue Jays and the Orioles (black) managed to play all six innings.

Another week without practice did not prevent the Blue Jays from getting the job done. Fans were impressed!

The final score was Blue Jays 10, Orioles (black) 5.

May 10 Game Report

Sebastian Bloomberg excelled in every facet of the game. Collecting a single in each plate appearance, he produced a 3-for-3 batting line with two runs scored and two RBI. Sebastian leads the team with six runs scored and is tied for the team lead with five RBI through four games.

The head coach loves the fact that Sebastian has been begging all season for an opportunity to be the catcher. Taking advantage of his initial opportunity, Sebastian caught several pitches in the air. Even better, he executed three fantastic 6-3 assists over three innings at shortstop and added two infield assists at pitcher's helper in the top of the sixth. Sebastian delivered the throws on five of the team's six assisted put-outs at 1st base. That is simply awesome!

Brody Gottfried broke through in a big way on Mother's Day Weekend. Above, he focuses on the pitch prior to delivering a base hit in the bottom of the second. Brody later followed up with singles in the third and the fifth innings. His perfect 3-for-3 day also included two runs scored.

Brody made several nice stops at catcher and played two solid innings at 2nd base.

Reto Lamparter enjoyed a productive day at the plate. Above, he grounds into a fielder's choice that resulted in an RBI in the bottom of the first inning. In the bottom of the third, he drove a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield. For the game, Reto was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

After being something of a revelation at 1st base in optional practice last week, Reto showed in Friday's game that he is indeed ready to play the position. He collected two excellent throws from the shortstop to notch assisted put-outs in the bottom of the third inning. Reto also seemed to enjoy his maiden voyage at catcher in the bottom of the fifth.

Milen Hukmani has worked hard and improved his swing over the last three weeks. Practicing on his own, Milen eliminated the habit of dropping his hands prior to swinging. On Friday, he was rewarded with a 3-for-3 game that included two big RBI.

A willing utility man, Milen played two innings at 3rd base and one inning at catcher versus the Orioles (black). We anticipate seeing Milen back at the 1st base bag next week.

In the photo above, Josh Porter prepares to extend the opening rally in the top of the first. Josh's base hit kept the line moving and helped the Blue Jays score two early runs. After four games, Josh is hitting at a solid .500 clip for the season.

Josh was ready to make plays at 3rd base in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, but the ball never found him. That will almost certainly not be the case next week when the Nationals send their lineup of pull hitters to the plate versus the Blue Jays at Avenel Park.

Seamus Bain is a quiet but essential cog in the Blue Jays' offensive lineup. In Friday's game, he belted two singles to the 5.5 hole on the left side of the infield. Seamus' 2-for-3 day also included two runs scored. He, too, is batting a at a solid .500 clip through four games.

Defensively, Seamus is learning to line up in the same location on every pitch at 2nd base. A young player with just one season of coach-pitch experience, Seamus is one of many Blue Jays who would benefit from a few team practices. Unfortunately, that has been impossible in five of six weeks this season.

Noah Solovey hit the ball well but grounded out in the top of the first inning. A fundamentally sound hitter who is seeking consistency, Noah will benefit when we have an opportunity to review video of his swing at practice. Notice a theme here? Given the lack of practice time, this team is having an outstanding year.

Noah turned in an excellent effort at catcher in the top of the sixth inning. He wisely used the opportunity to work on putting his body in front of the ball. Noah even inquired about covering home plate on force out opportunities when the bases are loaded! We're a few months away from trying to execute that particular play. The fact that he's already thinking about it is heartwarming.

Henry Goldstein punched an RBI single through the right side of the infield in the bottom of the first inning. Interestingly, Henry has reached safely every time he's made contact through four games. He, too, will benefit from video analysis of his swing at practice.

Henry debuted at pitcher's helper after showing aggressiveness and throwing accuracy at optional practice last week. Unfortunately, the ball didn't find him very often. Still, he shows promise. Henry did make an excellent stop and a terrific left-handed throw from 3rd base to 1st base in the top of the sixth.

Dominic Delgado pounded the Blue Jays' only extra-base hit in the game with the Orioles (black). His double to left field was key to what turned out to be a game deciding five-run rally in the bottom of the third. Dominic also grounded into a fielder's choice, scored two runs, and collected an RBI.

Dominic made a huge defensive play to thwart an Orioles rally in the top of the fifth. Playing at shortstop, he fielded a grounder and outran the base runner to the 2nd base bag to collect an unassisted force play. Dominic's hustle put the kibosh on the opponent's opportunity to score.

Jacob Carle knocked a solid single up the middle and went on to score a run in the key five-run rally in the bottom of the third. For the season, Jacob is batting at a robust .692 clip.

Playing four innings at 1st base, Jacob assisted on three put-outs, two from the shortstop and one from the pitcher's helper. He also added an unassisted put-out when he fielded a bouncing ball and stepped on the bag ahead of the runner.

Hitting the ball hard twice and making contact in each trip to the plate, Clark Roggie enjoyed a productive 3-for-3 day that included a run scored and two RBI.

Clark made a nice play at pitcher's helper in the top of the second inning, fielding a grounder and delivering a perfect throw to 1st base for a 1-3 put-out. When Clark's footwork and glovework catch up with his potent arm, he'll be an out-making machine!

The Orioles (black) are a nice team. Longtime BCC rec coach Gary Kessler deserves credit for working diligently with the Blue Jays' front office to make this game happen between thunderstorms.

Agility

Eric Delgado coached and umpired at 1st base approximately 30 minutes after landing at the airport. Impressive!

Ryan Porter took up the baton, coaching and umpiring at 3rd base.

As usual, Lance Bloomberg assisted with myriad tasks before, during, and after the game. This guy sees what needs to be done and does it!

We also need to thank Sam Solovey for managing the tee warm-up batting station.

And thanks as always to the Blue Jays' moms! Their flexibility enabled the kids to play in what we believe was the only BCC game completed on Mother's Day Weekend 2019!

Halfway Home

The Blue Jays sport a 2-2 record at the halfway point of the season. That is huge accomplishment for a young machine-pitch team that was not put together via tryouts.