Miguel Andujar

With the exception of every dog that ever lived, and a relatively select group of fine human beings, I can’t say I have loved anything more than the game of baseball. A feeling proven once again last night.

View From My Seat I took in another game. Trenton Thunder (Yankees AA affiliate) and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets AA affiliate). Sitting on the third base line, just to the left of the dugout (when facing), three rows up on the aisle. Oh, this was a nice seat. I figured since my May 13 game got rained out, I could exchange that ticket for this one. I was joined by 6,029 others and more than a handful were Met fans.

Despite a total of nine runs scored, I saw some good pitching. Yefry Ramirez was solid through the first three until he was pulled (broken nail on his pitching hand). Nestor Cortes came in, letting up three runs over the next six innings to get the win.

On the Binghamton side this kid Blake Beavan took the loss (1-1) after throwing for 6IP, 8H, 4R, 4ER, 6K and 0BB.
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To be fair, I have 20 years on the guy but truth is Beavan is far from a kid at 28. A 2007 first round draft pick out of Texas, he spent a couple of years in the big leagues compiling a 16-20 overall record with the Mariners. (4.61 ERA; 293 IP 326 hits, 150 of his 151 runs were earned, 46HR, 137K and 47BB).

So, why would I focus on the losing pitcher? Because he is what I remember most when I think about last night’s game.

Listen to me when I tell you, the guy looked fierce on the mound. Sure, Miguel Andujar took him deep in the bottom of the third, and maybe the Thunder scored four runs off the guy in total. But there is no doubting the intimidating force on the mound. Look at him.

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Dude is 6’7” and 245 lbs. Now, put that on a hill and have him throw a ball at you. I mean, toward you. Better pray to the good Lord it ain’t at you.

Don’t believe in God? Bet you’ll start second guessing that notion once you set foot in the box against this guy. Seriously, would you wanna be sixty-feet and six inches from a blazing fastball coming from a dude looking at you like this?

Well, have at it pal. I sure as heck ain’t ready for it. That’s why Section 116 Row A Seat 1 was best for me.

For a guy who looked like he could eat batters for lunch, one thing I noticed was his patience coming off the mound. There were more than a couple of instances when mental errors by teammates cost his arm more pitches than I thought necessary.

But unfortunately for Beavan, but not for us Thunder fans, the Ponies didn’t impress at the plate to give him enough run support.

I hope this kid makes it back up to the majors. I really do. I’d love to see it happen. My favorite baseball stories are always about the guys who grind it out in the bus leagues, have a healthy stint of time in the bigs, get sent down, then fight like hell to get back. Once they get back they’re better in so many ways.

I’m rootin’ for this big dog from Texas to be one of them.

The game put the Thunder (34-18) an additional game ahead of the Rumble Ponies (29-19) in the Eastern League standings with a three game lead.

Here are a bunch of pictures from the game. Enjoy.

Arm & Hammer Park, Trenton, N.J.

The only thing I can think of that’s better than going to the ballpark for a game is going for two. So last weekend, while Stacy was celebrating Mother’s Day with her family in South Carolina, I took advantage of the bachelor lifestyle in the best way I know how…watching live baseball.

With my Mum deceased and my girl away, I pretty much had the day free. I took in a doubleheader at Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton to see the Yankees AA-Affiliate play the Nationals’ Harrisburg Senators.

Section 103 on the first base side. Row AA. Seat 1. It was ideal. The Bronx Babies split with the junior Senators from Pennsylvania. Gleyber Torres, considered by most to be the Yanks’ top minor league prospect, hit one out in game two. I even got a nice looking shot at the swing when he took Mr. Rawlings deep.

I went full cliche and I loved every second of it. A hot dog and a beer during each game; in game two a bag of Cracker Jacks and Peanuts…although I didn’t really eat the peanuts yet. For most of the day the sun shone on the 3,500 of us and when the storm clouds rolled in during game two, most people left. They wanted to beat the rain. Candyasses.

You don’t go to a ballgame to leave before it is over. If you’re going to do that, stay at home. No. I stayed. The rain came. For about seven minutes it came down relatively hard. I got soaked but the game continued. The sun returned, and some people had straggled back in.

When the crowd left because of the rain I moved left to Seat 10 … the one that was the closest to the dugout and the field. I just don’t know a better place to sit than up close. No matter where you are. First base line, third base line, behind home plate or on top of the dugout. The closer you get to the field, the better the game.

You may remember I told you back in April how going to Oriole Park at Camden Yards was so wonderful and how the baseball bug has bitten me. Seeing the Thunder has gotten me even more excited about going to games. So much so, that two days after the Trenton game I went to see the Somerset Patriots.

I even took a selfie with Sparkee.

Next up? I go to see the Thunder again on Tuesday June 26.

The following week or so I will be in Charleston, S.C. where I will see the River Dogs (the Yankees A-Affiliate) play the Columbia Fireflies….as of this writing the left fielder for the Fireflies is Tim Tebow. Yes. THAT Tim Tebow. I got me, Stace and her parents tickets on the left field side, front row. Hopefully he won’t get called up to AA-ball before the Friday July 7 game.

We also have tickets for the July 12 Atlantic League All Star Game at TD Bank Ball Park – home of the Somerset Patriots.

Man, I do love this game. Pictures from all three games below.

Game 1: Trenton Thunder 2 Harrisburg Senators 1

Brady Lail

Zach Zehner – RF

Billy McKinney – CF

Jake Cave – LF

Boomer

Gleyber Torres

Miguel Andujar

Vincente Conde

Game 1 Scorecard

Game 2: Harrisburg Senators 6 Trenton Thunder 4

Miguel Andujar Billy Fleming Jake Cave Zach Zehner

Coach Lino Diaz and Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres puts one over the left-center field billboards

Billy Fleming 1B – Nestor Cortes SP – Drew Ward (Senators 3B)

Wilkin Castillo – On Deck

Nestor Cortes

Storms roll in on the Thunder game

Okay, well, uh… candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she’s registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern. Okay, let’s get two! Go get ’em.