7/4 Gameday Thread: Thad Ward explodes into pro ball

Ramon Flores released to make room on the Pawtucket Roster for Wren.

Saw the Portland Sea Dogs in Hartford today. My buddy invited up to the game, and while I was driving up I decided to check my phone to see who the Yard-Goats were playing and I was pleased when I realized it was Portland.

In the first inning, I'm telling my friend that Jeremy Rivera is a good defensive player but he's not too good with the bat, two seconds later he proceeds to absolutely launch a ball that easily cleared the left field fence (left field fence is also only 325 feet) but was just foul. Next pitch he hits a line drive single, next at bat he hits a line drive out. I realized he was a switch hitter, from the left side of he looked a lot more like his scouting report. Looking at his stats tonight it looks like what little power he does have all come from the right side so I guess this made sense.

I would be interested to see if the radar gun is off at Dunkin Donuts park because if it isn't then Jordan Weems was definitely hitting 99 MPH tonight and was sitting 95,96 working in the 8th. He came back out for the 9th and was sitting in the low 90's and throwing another pitch that was around 83 MPH but the last batter he faced he was touching 97,98 again. One of the two hits he gave up was a weak grounder and the other one should have been an out. Jeremy Rivera made an absolutely amazing diving stop to keep a ball from going into left field and then while moving towards 3B he made a moving off-balance throw to first in which the runner was called safe. I was sitting in the 2nd row behind the dugout right in front of 1B and the guy looked out to me. Stories of his defense have not been exaggerated, and he made one other outstanding play today as well stealing a hit.

I struck up a conversation with the lady sitting in front of me with her two children, it turns out her husband is the 1st base coach for the Portland Sea-Dogs and he played baseball for 13 years. I guess towards the end of his career while he was trying to rehab an injury he played for the Paw-sox around 2015, he was a catcher. If I was feeling more ambitious tonight I'd look up who he was. But I thought that was pretty cool

Luke Montz. Nice story on him in the Portland Press Herald. It's great that his family can be there so much. (And also entertaining if I'm shooting near first base at Hadlock to hear the littlest one yelling "DADDY!")

Thanks for the write-up!

gsp, You should have joined me sitting behind home plate, there were lots of choice empty seats. Stank's fastball was 91-94 and touched 95 on his last batter in the 6th. He struck out Nunez with swings and misses on 3 change ups, got Hilliard in the first swinging through 2 fastballs and in the 6th with a slider in the dirt, and Wall in the 5th with another slider.

Everything was hit hard in the first for the Sea Dogs except the last hit by Nunez which he blooped over the pitchers head for a single. Ockimey got a green light on a 3-0 and hammered an 85 mph fastball to the warning track in right center that was caught. After a 5 pitch walk in the 3rd, he would crush another drive off an 83 mph curve in the same direction with this one just getting over the right fielders glove at the wall for a double. The best match up of the day was Josh against Griggs, who was throwing 96. Griggs got him to swing and miss on 96,95 and 96, all up and out over the plate. Josh would square up another curve with a drive to the warning track in center that was caught in the 9th off Cozart.

Mars showed off a nice arm when he gunned a one hop throw to get the speedy Jones tagging from second on a fly to medium depth in right. Tendler crushed a 92 mph fastball from Cozart in the ninth over the high wall in right center for the difference in the game. There were a couple Sea Dogs upset with the large strike zone from the home plate umpire but it helped Lau get out of the 7th with the bases loaded on a pitch that looked 4 inches off the plate to end the inning, as well as the one that ended the game in the ninth with 2nd and 3rd.

That was a really nice moment.  I was also very impressed with the Stadium as a whole.  My uncle has been to a few games and from his observations the attendance wasn't any higher because of the 4th of July.  They do pretty well there, and there is a lot of energy in the stadium.  

When you think about it, these ballplayers are better at this sport than 99.9999% of people in the world and many of them are young and on the cusp of a big league career.  $5 to park, and $20 to sit behind the dugout is a pretty damn good deal when you think about how much you have to pay to see .000001% better.  I'll definitely be back for more. 

EDIT: the 98 MPH in the 9th inning may very well have been 97 MPH.