Opening Day of baseball season is a time of wonderment.
Hard work and preparation give a team a chance but guarantee nothing.
Early jitters were quickly set aside as the Blue Jays commenced to bashing extra base hits in the opener with the Nationals on Sunday, September 8, at Whitman High School.
The Blue Jays scored half of their runs on three home runs.
They collected two triples and a double for good measure.
The extra base hits more than made up for the game's most unbelievable statistic.
Playing in their first machine pitch game, the Nationals had fewer strikeouts than the Blue Jays. Sometimes, stats are mere anomalies.
The final score was Blue Jays 18, Nationals 5.
September 8 Game Report
Dominic Delgado put together a batting performance that won't be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Above, Dominic crushes the first of his two home runs. This one was a grand slam that essentially put the game away after three innings. Dominic's two-run homer in the fifth finished off a 3-for-3 day that included three runs scored and a team high six RBI.
Dominic played his usual outstanding defense at shortstop. His personal highlight came on a diving stop on a ball up the middle and an accurate throw to 1st base for a 6-3 assist in the top of the fifth.
Vinny Guo said, "Hello!" to his new Blue Jays teammates with a three-run homer to left center field in the bottom of the first inning. Vinny's blast established the tone for what would become a succession of offensive fireworks. His 2-for-2 day came with two runs scored and three RBI.
Vinny demonstrated a reliable glove at 1st base. Above, he smiles after completing an unassisted put-out in the top of the first. Vinny accounted for two of three outs in the top of the fifth, converting a grounder unassisted and a catching a good throw from the shortstop on a 6-3 put-out.
Noah Solovey just kept grinding at optional practices until he found the timing that would allow for success on Sunday. Above, Noah prepares to ground a base hit to the left side in the bottom of the third. His single to center field in the fifth gave him a 2-for-2 day with two runs scored.
Noah is one of several Blue Jays who appears to have improved his catching and throwing skills over the summer. He made a couple of good stops at pitcher's helper and at 2nd base in Sunday's game.
Take a look at how Sebastian Bloomberg keeps his eyes fixed on the ball as it approaches the plate. That's the kind of laser focus that allows for a 3-for-3 batting line with a triple, three runs scored, and three RBI.
Sebastian enjoys being part of the action at the catcher position. Here, after shooting out from behind the plate and grabbing a swinging bunt, Sebastian very nearly gives the Blue Jays their first ever 2-3 put-out. Playing at the pitcher's helper position in the top of the fourth, Sebastian helped his team get off the field quickly with back-to-back 1-3 assists.
Adam Farber worked hard on hitting mechanics at optional practice on Saturday morning. His work paid off in the bottom of the fourth inning on Sunday. Adam's run-scoring base hit to center field gave the Blue Jays an eleven run cushion as they headed toward the late innings.
Adam's work at 3rd base helped the Blue Jays snuff a Nationals rally in the top of the second. With runners on first and second, two out, and two runs already in, Adam fielded a bouncing grounder and stepped on the bag at 3rd to complete the inning ending force play.
Brendan Wang enjoyed a successful debut with his new team. His infield hits set the table for big innings in third and fifth, respectively. Brendan scored twice in his 2-for-2 Blue Jays debut.
Brendan demonstrated his toughness at the catcher position in the top of the second. He also did a nice job at 3rd base in the top of the fifth.
In the opinion of the head coach, Milen Hukmani's first inning at bat was the fulcrum upon which the game tilted squarely in the Blue Jays' favor. With the bases loaded, two out, and no runs in, Milen swung and missed to get to a two-strike count. A scoreless inning would have been a disaster. But Milen kept his cool, fouled off three potential strike three pitches, and then belted a hard two-run single up the middle. The next batter hit a home run, giving the Blue Jays the maximum five runs for the inning. The game would never again be in doubt. Milen went on to deliver another single in the fourth that gave him a 2-for-2 batting line with two runs scored and three RBI.
We were impressed with Milen's situational recognition and his reliable glove at 2nd base. He covered the bag and caught a throw from the center fielder for an 8-4 fielder's choice force play in the top of the third. In the game's final inning, Milen covered the bag at 2nd and caught a heater from the shortstop to complete a 6-3 put-out.
Brody Gottfried has become a consistent contact hitter for the Blue Jays. After finishing the spring season on a hot streak, he required little time to heat up for fall, hitting the ball solidly in two plate appearances. Brody led off the third inning with a base hit and touched them all on the way to scoring a run.
Brody worked to keep his body in front of the ball at pitcher's helper in the first and second innings. As the kids get bigger and stronger, things will tend to happen rapidly at that particular position.
Henry Goldstein put together two impressive at bats with nothing to show for it, fouling off multiple offerings before going down on strikes in the second and fourth innings. As soon as Henry gets his timing down, he'll recommence doing damage at the plate.
Henry impressed the coaches by remembering to cover the 2nd base bag at the appropriate times in the second and fifth innings.
Jacob Carle shook off two frustrating early at bats to pull out a big-time salvage job in the bottom of the fifth. His line drive double to center field allowed Jacob to end the day with both a run scored and an RBI.
A stalwart at 1st base, Jacob contributed to four of the Blue Jays' ten put-outs on the afternoon. Jacob collected a throw from the shortstop in the third, took in two consecutive tosses from the pitcher's helper in the fourth, and added another 1-3 put-out on a throw from the pitcher's helper in the sixth.
Reto Lamparter batted in the cleanup position after smashing more than a dozen hits to the outfield in Saturday's optional batting practice. In Sunday's game, he went 1-for-2 with a single and a run scored.
Reto was ready at 3rd base in the third and fourth innings, but the ball never found him. He did get plenty of action at catcher in the bottom of the sixth.
Seamus Bain tore the cover off the ball in optional batting practice on Saturday at Ritchie Park. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to replicate his BP performance in the game. That happens at times to every ballplayer. Seamus batted .429 in spring; his time will come again!
Seamus made a good stop in center field in the top of the second inning. Holding opponents to singles on hard hits to the outfield will become very important as the season continues and the hitting improves.
Clark Roggie might have had a home run on this swing if not for the football blocking sled that stopped the ball in right field and forced him to hold up at third base. Working hard to keep his hands back and wait for the pitch to arrive, Clark produced a 2-for-2 batting line with two runs scored and an RBI.
Clark worked over the summer to develop situational awareness that would allow him to put his cannon arm to good use. We saw evidence of progress in Sunday's game. Clark gunned down a runner on a bang-bang 6-3 grounder in the top of the third. He also did a nice job of moving to his right, fielding the ball between his two feet, and rifling a strike to the second baseman for a 6-4 fielder's choice in top of the sixth.
When the game was over, the Blue Jays congratulated the Nationals, a nice team of kids, coaches and parents.
Energy and Enthusiasm
Coach Eric Delgado led pregame calisthenics and fielding warm-up. In addition to schlepping gear, he manned the pitching machine.
William Guo stepped up whenever necessary. Above, he assists in the process of dialing in the pitching machine.
Blue Jays parents and siblings proved to be loud and proud throughout the afternoon.
Of course it helps when there is much for which to cheer!
Great Start!
This was a fun way to begin the fall season.
The big bats will be needed again next week. The Orioles held the Blue Jays to four and three runs, respectively, in two games last season.
Let's get ready to have fun and do our best!
Coach Steve
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