Mere minutes after completing the season opener, the Blue Jays looked across the Fleming Park diamond and saw a different opponent staring back at them.
There was no time to reflect on the first game. The second half of the scheduled twin bill was at hand.
After a quick pregame meeting at the mound, the Blue Jays broke out the bats!
Collecting nine hits, walking twelve times, and striking out on only five occasions, the Blue Jays captured their first BCC Minor League (4th & 5th grade) victory, an 11-6 win over the Rockies.
September 13 Game #2 Report
Brody Gottfried picked up where he left off at the end of the first game, putting the ball in play with focus and efficiency. In the matchup with the Rockies, he put together a 2-for-3 batting line with two runs scored and an RBI. Testing his stamina in back-to-back games, Brody was one of three Blue Jays who did not get an inning off in the field.
Brendan Wang was on base twice thanks to a base hit in the third inning and a walk in the fourth. He went on to score a run in both instances. Defensively, Brendan put in two innings at 2nd base, getting good position on grounders and finding that older kids with longer legs get to 1st base rapidly.
Henry Goldstein has speed to burn when he gets on base. Above he steals 3rd base in the bottom of the third inning. Henry enjoyed a perfect 1-for-1 game with two walks and two runs scored. The lefty thrower also made a nice play on a hit to center field, getting in front of the ball, knocking it down, and returning it to the infield to prevent extra bases.
Sebastian Bloomberg displayed the bulldog mentality that convinced the coach he would be a good pitcher. Getting the starting nod in Game #2, Sebastian scattered three hits and two walks over two scoreless innings. He helped himself immensely by striking out five batters. At the plate, Sebastian helped his own cause with a 1-for-2 performance with a walk, two runs scored, and an RBI.
Milen Hukmani pitched well but needed a little more help from his teammates in the field. In one inning-plus, he allowed three legitimate hits and four walks, hit one batter and struck out two. All three runs that were charged to Milen in the third inning were unearned runs due to errors. Those extra pitches clearly weighed on an already tired pitcher who was more than three hours into a four-hour afternoon of baseball. In addition to his gutty performance on the mound, Milen helped his team offensively with a 1-for-1 game with two walks and two RBI.
Clark Roggie did a little bit of everything in Game #2. Above, he charges in from 1st base to make a play on a tricky fly ball that slammed the door on a potential rally with two out and the bases loaded. Clark was also on the receiving end of a good throw from the shortstop on a 6-3 put-out in the top of the third. "The Fireman" then took the mound with the bases loaded and none out in the top of the fourth. Four batters later, the Blue Jays' lead was preserved and the game was effectively over. Clark allowed no runs on one hit with no walks and two strikeouts.
Noah Solovey fouled off multiple pitches and was credited with a Quality At Bat in the bottom of the second inning. He would see only one more strike all afternoon; he walked on four pitches in the third and strolled to 1st base after five pitches in the fourth.
Vinny Guo defied the odds and proved to have something left in the tank in the top of the fourth inning. After spending three long innings at the catcher position, Vinny handled 1st base duties in the fourth and promptly contributed an unassisted put-out on a well hit groundball. Offensively, Vinny collected his first RBI of the season when he walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third.
Jacob Carle filled up the scorebook from the lead-off position. After drawing a walk in the first inning, Jacob laced solid singles to the outfield in the second and third. He led the team with three runs scored and chipped in with two RBI. Jacob also made the defensive play of the game, ranging to his left from shortstop, snagging a would-be base hit headed for center field, and throwing a laser to 1st base for the first out in the top of the third.
A defensive asset despite his inexperience, Casper Larosch prevented disaster when he caught errant throws at 3rd base on stolen base attempts in the first and second innings. Casper also notched the first RBI of his career when he walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.
Takeaways: The Good
The offense came alive. All ten Blue Jays reached base at least once, six different players scored, and five drove in at least one run apiece. This was a balanced team effort that put runs on the board and pressure on the opposing defense. The Rockies needed the five-run rule to stop the Blue Jays in the third inning and the time limit to end a rally in the fourth.
The Blue Jays have a deep and solid pitching staff despite their relative youth. The arms won't blow away 5th graders, but the pitchers show resilience, throw strikes, and give their team a chance. That's all you can ask at this stage of development.
Takeaways: Room for Improvement
The pitchers need more help from their teammates in the field. Exhibit A: Milen has the look of a pitcher who had to throw about 30 extra pitches because his defense didn't covert opportunities for routine outs. The Blue Jays completed just two assisted (throw required) put-outs on infield grounders over two games. That needs to improve along with the overall catching and throwing of the entire team.
The same can be said of our hardworking catchers. Vinny spent an extra 20 minutes in the crouch on Sunday while his teammates booted grounders, forgot to cover bases, and dropped well-thrown balls. Like Milen, Vinny did not complain. But he, too, had the look of exhaustion. Let's get better and give these guys a break.
All of that said, the Opening Day performance justified the selected course. The Blue Jays competed admirably with a strong older team in Game #1 and won with relative ease versus a not bad 4th and 5th grade squad in Game #2. The work that everyone put in at optional practices over the summer was evident. But this is no time to slow down; we watched two of our next three opponents play each other to a tie in the noon game. As advertised, they're bigger and older than us. They looked good. The next few weeks will be a big challenge.
The Crew
It's difficult to believe that this was our first game day without Coach Delgado, but it's true! Fortunately, many stepped forward to grab the baton. Lance Bloomberg assisted with warm-up and helped pitchers get loose in the bullpen.
William "First at the Field" Guo assisted with pregame warm-up and coached at 3rd base.
Brett Goldstein helped the players find their positions each inning and filled in as a base coach.
Navin Hukmani warmed up relief pitchers and coached at 1st base. We did not get Eric Carle's picture but we need to thank him for helping with warm-up prior to the first game.
The Future is Now
The Blue Jays waited a long time to play a real baseball game. When the opportunity finally came, they made the most of it. Twice.
All indications are that this team can look forward to a great fall season. After a one-week hiatus, we'll get back to work at practice on Friday, September 25.
Coach Steve
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