THE FISHER CATS and Sea Dogs sold out Hadlock Field on Saturday night for a pitchers’ duel between lefty Ricky Romero and Portland’s Clay Buchholz.
– Buccholz did not allow a hit through five innings of a scoreless game. He now leads the league with 115 strikeouts. NH slugger Chip Cannon leads all of Minor League Baseball with 106 Ks. He fanned in the fifth inning.
– Eastern League batting leader Aaron Mathews has been protecting his .341 average, drawing a pair of walks.
– Earlier this season, I was talking with Fisher Cats outfielder Dustin Majewski about Buchholz, and Majewski said, “He throws fastballs 400 feet away from me.” The proud Texan was referring to the solo homer he blasted off Buchholz earlier this season.
– Buchholz worked five innings and handed the ball to Litchfield’s Kyle Jackson
in relief.
– When Portland visits New Hampshire on Friday night, the Fisher Cats will welcome their 1,000,000th fans through the gates. This year, the Fishers have drawn 202,664 fans, third-most in the league.
– Boy or girl? Sergio Santos left the Fisher Cats over the weekend and returned home for the birth of his second child. No word yet on the latest five-tool arrival.
– Winner of this game will own sole possession of second-place in the Northern Division.
– Portland alumnus Jacoby Ellsbury made his big-league debut for the Red Sox tonight. With a runner on third base, Ellsbury batted in the second inning and hit a 2-inch roller and was tagged out by the catcher. Seriously. It was check-swing, and the ball barely trickled over home plate. That goes “2-U” in the scorebook.
THE BOTTOM portion of my Saturday feature on Fisher Cats outfielder Aaron Mathews was chopped off in the print edition, the result of space constraints. Here’s the complete story:
MANCHESTER — Back home in Oregon, Aaron Mathews works in obscurity while moving cattle or mending fences on the family ranch.
And Mathews was a relative unknown when the Blue Jays drafted him in the 19th round of 2004.
No longer can he avoid the spotlight as an outfielder for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, batting a league-best .344 entering last night against New
Britain.
Mathews is expected to be a shoe-in for the 2007 All-Star Game, hosted by the Connecticut Defenders on July 11. The league’s baseball writers and
broadcasters already named him to their midseason All-Star team.
It’s all part of a breakout season for a humble kid who grew up in John Day, Ore., part of “a county with one traffic light,” he said.
Now in his fourth pro season, Mathews is reaping the benefits of a work ethic he learned on his family’s 5,000-acre property. In addition, he spends time at a 20,000-acre ranch owned by a friend of the family.
“You’ve got to work hard to get everything done. That’s just part of your daily life. I was raised well enough to understand that,” said Mathews, whose off-season mornings typically begin at 5 a.m. on a work day.
On the diamond, the 25-year-old has turned himself into a big-league prospect with a steady swing and above-average play in left field.
Scouts wonder if Mathews (five homers) has enough power to play a corner outfield position in the big leagues, but Fisher Cats manager Bill Masse scoffs at such talk.
“If you can hit .350 and play the outfield like he’s doing, you don’t have to hit for power,” Masse said. “He’s just a really consistent hitter from the
left-field line to the right-field line, and I wouldn’t try to change his approach.”
The 5-foot-10 Mathews, built like a linebacker, began the year with a 12-game hitting streak and never stopped swinging a hot bat in his first tour of the Eastern League.
He recently had a franchise-best 16-game hitting streak snapped against Portland, a game in which Mathews struck out and cracked his bat while slamming the dirt.
That type of intensity and a burning desire to win is what makes Mathews — who played through a rib injury earlier this season — a team leader among Fisher Cats. Frankly, he’s exactly the kind of player Masse loves to manage.
“He’s borderline hothead. He’s not afraid to go into the tunnel and smash a bat, but I’ll tell you what, he’ll come right back into the dugout and be a
good teammate,” Masse said. “Even when he’s 0-for-4, he’s always pumping guys up.”
Oddly enough, the tenacious style belies Mathews’ approach to hitting. Once he steps into the batters’ box, he’s yoga-calm waiting on a pitch.
“Just get up there and be relaxed. I don’t need to get too excited because I’m already an up-beat guy when I play this game,” Mathews said.
“I try not to think about too much before I get to the dish. The game can be simple or it can be hard. If you think too much, it’s going to come hard for you. That’s how I’ve always approached it.”
In terms of development, base-running remains a work in progress for the Oregon State product. Earlier this season, Masse screamed at Mathews for being overly aggressive on the bases and getting thrown out at third, ending a rally.
“He reminds me a lot of Kevin Thompson (currently with the Yankees), who I had with Trenton. When he was on the bases, it was like throwing 50 steaks to a lion. He didn’t know which one to go to,” Masse said.
“That’s kind of the way Mathews runs the bases. We’re trying to get to the point where we can throw one steak out there, not 50.”
An appearance in the 2007 Eastern League All-Star Game would be a proud moment for Mathews, taken with the 567th overall pick in 2004. When the EL roster is announced Monday, there won’t be many 19th round picks on the list.
“I kind of take pride in that, being a 19th round pick and being able to do what I’ve done,” said Mathews, singled with his first swing last night. “I’m
going to work hard and take pride in whatever I’m doing.”
THE EASTERN LEAGUE Baseball Writers Association has announced its midseason All-Star Team as determined by writers and broadcasters. Twenty-two members of the media submitted votes. The envelope, please …
C – Robinzon Diaz, New Hampshire
1B – Jordan Brown, Akron
2B – Eugenio Velez, Connecticut
3B – Neil Walker, Altoona
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera, Akron
OF – Aaron Mathews, New Hampshire; Greg Jacobs, Reading; Brian Barton, Akron; Caleb Stewart, Binghamton
DH – Jackson Melian, Erie
Utility – Jesus Merchan, Reading
Right-handed Starter – Clay Buchholz, Portland
Left-handed Starter – Geno Espineli, Connecticut
Reliever – Matt Peterson, Altoona.
(Memo: The Eastern League’s official All-Star Game roster will be announced July 2.)
I SPOKE with four members of the Fisher Cats yesterday, in addition to manager Bill Masse, and asked them about the recent Portland series in which fans gave Sea Dogs starter Clay Buchholz a roaring applause after pitching 6.1 innings. The ovation was the final straw for some already-irked Fisher Cats.
“It was a little embarrassing. We felt shown up in our home park,” outfielder Ryan Patterson said.
I don’t blame him. I’ve seen Patterson dive head-first into the bullpen mound in attempt to catch a fly ball. Aaron Mathews has played with sore ribs for weeks. Dustin Majewski has been diving all over the outfield to catch fly balls. Tree Thorpe always signs up for the free autograph sessions.
So, yeah, they were a little peeved when they felt fans turned against them with Portland in town. One player said fans were booing when the umpire ruled in favor of Majewski’s inside-the-park homer instead of a ground-rule double on Monday. Ouch.
Understand the players’ and manager’s reaction wasn’t over an isolated incident. It was after four days of all-things Sea Dogs, including newspaper coverage and an in-game announcement promoting Portland’s starting pitcher. Of course, the 17-2 loss on Friday night got the ball rolling. So after losing three of four games, Masse let off some steam while talking with New Hampshire Union Leader reporter John Habib on Monday night.
“Disgraceful” is a word Masse often uses, and he knows he shouldn’t have used the word when talking about the home fans. However, he’s also repeatedly said the fans are some of the best in Minor League Baseball. This guy would walk bare-footed across hot coals if it meant winning a game for New Hampshire fans. That’s part of the story fans should remember when heading to the park.
Oh, and the Sea Dogs are back in town July 7 for a three-game series. That’s going to be interesting.
YOU COULD ALMOST feel something special brewing Saturday night as the Fisher Cats and Sea Dogs played before more than 8,000 fans at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. It’s funny because before the game I told Fisher Cats owner Art Solomon, “This team seems to fall behind by five runs every night and battle back.”
Sure enough, New Hampshire spotted the Sea Dogs a 5-0 lead and rallied back with home runs by Chip Cannon and Ryan Patterson. All-Star candidate Aaron Mathews extended his hitting streak to 16 games, matching the franchise record, and he came through with a clutch single in the eighth. Cannon then sent a missile over the right-field wall, and the Fishers won, 6-5
Cue the fireworks. Speaking as a fan, that was an awesome finish to a beautiful night at the park. Manager Bill Masse put a save in the hands of Tree Thorpe, who registered 98 MPH on the radar gun with his last pitch.
By the way, that’s five straight standing-room-only crowds at the stadium, which has to be a team record. Sunday’s game will likely make it six straight.
THE FISHER CATS play 10 of their next 13 home games against Portland beginning Friday night in Manchester. The ballpark should be packed with about one-third of the crowd cheering on the Red Sox farmhands. Remember when:
– A.J. Burnett pitched before a crowd of 7,575 last season against the Sea Dogs.
– Jonathan Papelbon worked eight innings against NH and allowed one hit in May 2005.
– Jacoby Ellsbury went 7-for-8 in Portland’s first two games against the Fishers this season.
– Anibal Sanchez earned his first Double-A win against the Fishers (2005).
Those are just some highlights off the top of my head. By the way, the Sea Dogs can steal NH manager Bill Masse’s signs by clicking here.
IT’S ALL TRUE. Perhaps you’ve heard about former Red Sox reliever Rich Garces and how he’s pitching for the Nashua Pride. I’d always heard he was a great teammate. His Red Sox teammates certainly loved him, and fans adored the portly pitcher for seven seasons in Boston. After talking with Garces at Holman Stadium, it’s no wonder he’s such a popular guy.
He last pitched for the Red Sox in 2002, but he was so emotionally attached to the team that he cried when the Sox won the World Series in 2004. His brother also gave El Guapo a replica championship ring as a gift. These days, Garces is a dominant reliever in the Can-Am League and working toward another shot at the big leagues. No matter what happens, he’ll leave the park with a smile on his face. For more on Garces, check Thursday’s paper.
“Rich Garces is a happy man and always has been,” Pride manager Butch Hobson said.
THE NASHUA PRIDE opened a three-game homestand at Holman Stadium, where some brave karaoke singers took the microphone between innings Tuesday. It was Mardi Gras Night, and the Grays (a great name for a baseball team) snapped a 10-game losing streak and beat the Pride, 5-3.
– Monadnock of Swanzey graduate Bryan Duplissie (Franklin Pierce College) returned to the lineup after missing 10 days with a concussion and singled in his first at-bat. More on this in Wednesday’s editions.
– Henniker’s Jason Paul (Southern New Hampshire University) started for the Pride and allowed a pair of runs in the first inning. He’s yet to win a game in five starts this season.
– The Pride are working to bring NBA champion Matt Bonner to Holman Stadium for an appearance on July 6. Bonner would throw out the first pitch and plug his charity concert held July 14 in Concord.
– Switch-hitter Austin Wasserman of Nashua entered the night batting .322 with a team-best five doubles.
THIS JUST IN: Ex-Fisher Cat Adam Lind has seven homers for the Blue Jays, and there’s a nice feature on New Hampshire broadcaster Mike Murphy at minorleaguebaseball.com. Click this link for more on Murph, who convinced seven women to hoist his not-so-sculpted body into the air for a publicity photo.
– Check out this video of A.J. Burnett drenching Lind with the Gatorade bucket following a recent game in Toronto. Is this how Burnett hurt his shoulder?
– Here is an interesting home video of when Aaron Hill stole home against the Yankees in a 3-2 win at Toronto.
ONE DAY Lee Gronkiewicz is throwing an Eephus pitch for the Fisher Cats, and the next day he’s heading to Toronto. This is why you’ve got to love the minors.
This weekend look for “Game Over” Gronk to become the sixth former Fisher Cat to make his major-league debut this year, joining a list that includes Jamie Vermilyea, Jesse Litsch, Brian Wolfe, Curtis Thigpen and Jordan DeJong.
I remember two years ago when Gronkiewicz became so frustrated with his situation at New Hampshire that he called out Toronto farm director Dick Scott in the media. At the time, I asked Gronkiewicz, “What do you have to do for a promotion?” He suggested I march into Scott’s office and ask him. At the time, Gronk was nearly untouchable (1-0, 0.79 ERA) and felt deserving of a promotion. Scott was in town checking up on the Fishers.
“He’s the mastermind behind it all. Why don’t you ask him what I need to prove down here? Please do. Obviously, I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe you guys can find out more,” Gronkiewicz said.
Good times.
