4/16/2016 Toledo Mud Hens 8, Louisville Bats 6

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY

Game 3 of 4

My friends Joel and Sheila in town to celebrate Joel's birthday...the most late-June weather day we've had in mid-April for quite some time, perfect to beers and based ball! 

My scoresheets, using my pitch-counting method! Read about it HERE, download the scoresheets for free HERE!

Toledo start Lucas Harrell was cited in the roster as wearing number 34...however, he was wearing number 18...I thought I had taken a photo of this, but apparently I didn't.

LOU LHP John Lamb, on rehab assignment, faces former Met of infamy, Jordany Valdespin

Valedspin grounds out, LOU 3B Jermaine Curtis to 1B Steve Selsky

LOU RHP Layne Somsen pitches to TOL C Drew Longley

It's always GREAT to see some of my Australian Baseball League favorites pitching here...tonight I saw RHP Warwick Saupold!

We played the Mystery Rookie Card game, but because I was so caught up in the night's festivities, I forgot about the cards until after I got home. It's such a drag getting old. 

I picked the infamous bat-licking Jose Constanza. I love telling the story, but the odd thing is the past few times I've seen him play here, I didn't catch him doing it...the first few times he was here, he was certainly doing it. ICYMI, Jose has the curious distinction of having been known to lick his bat after fouling off a pitch. I've seen it with my own eyes, here at LSF and on TV as well...I wrote about this a couple of years ago. Jose hasn't been a Brave for a couple of years, fact of the matter is he played for Louisville and Durham in the IL last season (with a brief stint for the independent league York Revolution in between), and is currently an unsigned free agent, playing for the Mexican League Leones de Yucatan.

Joel and I were talking about Travis Wood today; figures that he'd pick this (without really knowing it).

Official Program and Scorecard

Ticket #ClubLevelAccess

Bat Chat and Gameday Stats

If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter 

(I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!

4/14/2016 Toledo Mud Hens 2, Louisville Bats 0

Louisville Slugger Field
Game 1 of 4

Baseball is back in Louisville, and the Bats are sporting a really catchy new colors and logo designs...which naturally means new unis as well. I don't tend to care too much for change, but I'm loving this.

My scoresheets, using my pitch-counting method! Read about it HERE, download the scoresheets for free HERE!

SCOREKEEPER'S NOTE: LOU 1B Brandon Allen gets on base in the 7th due to a play that TOL 2B Field definitely could have made. I ruled it an Error, the OS here ruled it a hit. My wife agrees with me, so that's that.

Tools of the Trade: Scoresheet, clipboard, pencil, eraser, Popcorn Helmet

RHP Robert Stephenson, recalled after a single start in CIN, pitches to Cubs and Giants legend Nate Schierholtz. Stephenson still has great stuff, he's hitting his spots a lot better, striking out 7 in 4 innings, but ended up a little flat after about 60 pitches.

LHP Layne Somsen pitches to TOL C Miguel Gonzalez...my heart is filled with Somsen's "pick up that dollar" mechanics, a la Tim Lincecum.

My wife doesn't play the Mystery Rookie Card game, so I debuted the season here as a solo artist. Every now and then, I draw a guy who is completely unknown to me. Kevin Howard was also unknown (or at least forgotten) amongst Reds fans close to me, so I had to do some research.

Turns out Howard hails from Hinsdale, IL (20 plus years ago, it was home of the greatest record show on the planet, eternally recognized for the Hinsdale Oasis...if you don't travel in the Chicago area, this reference was totally missed on you). Of course, I could learn this from the back of the card; I could also find that Howard appeared in 134 games with Class-A Dayton in 2003...he was signed by the Reds in 2002 after being selected in the 5th round of the Draft out of the University of Miami. Howard never played a game for the Reds at the Major League level, nor did he play in MLB for any of the other clubs he bounced around amongst through 2012 (Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Mariners, Blue Jays, Padres and even the Cardinals). Howard ended up in the Atlantic League, playing 84 games of indy ball with the Lancaster Barnstormers in 2013 (he had appeared in 34 games with them in 2011 as well), and his last season of professional ball on record was a full one with the Lincoln (NE) Saltdogs of the American Association. If you wanted to build a template for a career minor leaguer with no fluff or sparkle whatsoever, Kevin Howard seems to be as good a place as any to start.

Official Program and Scorecard (with detail)

Ticket (Opening Night!!)

Bat Chat and Gameday Stats

If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter

(I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!

8/1/2015 Toledo Mud Hens 0, Louisville Bats 1

Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY

Game 2 of 3

It's STAR TREK night in Louisville...the color is a little bold, but the Bats are bold as well, so they kind of complement each other...entering this series, the Toledo Mud Hens led the Bats 7-6 in 2015; last night the Bats blew the Hens away 8-5 at the hands of Brennan Boesch (in support of former Cubs Legend RHP Donn Roach)...tonight the Bats continued to turn the screw, shutting out the Hens 1-0

My scoresheets, using my pitch-counting method! Read about it HERE, download the scoresheets for free HERE!

Toledo Mud Hens starter LHP Matt Boyd only stuck around for 2 scoreless innings, walking 3 and striking out 1, not allowing any hits. Here he faces LOU C Ramon Cabrera, with Irving Falu at 2B and Ryan LaMarre at 1B (both reached via walks).

Toledo legend Mike Hessman, who was a Bat for a year, returned to Toledo in 2014...this is probably his final season in professional baseball..

LOU RHP Matt Buschmann, pitching to Hessman in the 2nd inning, was the real story of the game, pitching a complete game shut out with 4 hits and 4 strikeouts.

Another solo shot for the Mystery Rookie Card game, I picked this really nifty 2012 Bowman Platinum Tyler Pastornicky RC.

Sure, it's barely worth a buck, but it sure is nice to look at. Kind of like Tyler Pastornicky himself, released by the Braves earlier this year and is currently plugging away at something in the Texas Rangers org. He's kind of young to be a Minor League Hammydown, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Official Program (featuring Robert Stephenson) and Scorecard

Ticket (Tucker Barnhart, yup)

Bat Chat and Gameday Stats

If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter 

(I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!