Hey, guess who I saw at the Storm game Saturday night. I’ll give you a hint:
[Update: More photos now up at Flickr.]
Ryan Klesko started at first base and played five or six innings. He walked, struck out looking, and popped to shortstop in his three trips to the plate.
Strange game. Cesar Ramos started for the Storm and gave up 13 hits, but most of those were bad luck. A lot of balls were hit in just the right place or took a crazy hop. Heck, one was a sacrifice bunt where nobody covered first base.
On the other side, San Jose used four pitchers to combine on a 1-hitter. I doubt you’ll ever see an uglier 1-hitter. The Giants’ starter, Darren Sack, walked the first four batters he faced after being staked to a 4-0 lead in the first.
The fourth of those first inning walks, to DH Peter Ciofrone, came with a little extra drama. After a 3-1 pitch to Ciofrone was called a strike, Storm manager Rick Renteria (who was coaching thrid base) started barking at plate umpire Ryan Stockdale, who immediately tossed him. Renteria responded by outlining the strike zone and kicking dirt onto home plate.
Here’s where it gets fun. San Jose catcher Yamid Haad, who apparently is on a rehab assignment and demonstrating to young Giants players how to behave badly, kicks dirt back at Renteria. As you might imagine, the entire Storm bench empties and starts spilling out onto the field. They don’t make a mad charge or anything, but they’re ready. And Haad looks like he wants to take on the world. He just keeps pointing and flapping his jaws the whole time.
Eventually Haad gets run and as he’s walking back to the dugout (still yapping), he receives a shower of boos from the home crowd. Well, I can’t speak for the entire crowd, but I sure was giving him an earful. (There’s something to be said for sitting directly behind the visitors’ dugout.)
The only other downer was an injury to third baseman Chase Headley. He hurt his arm while taking a throw from right field in the first inning and had to leave the game. (You can see him in this last photo — he’s to the left of the Storm trainer, the only guy not wearing white.)
It was good to get away and see some minor league baseball. And it was good to get home and find out the Padres had won.
I went to a minor league last night also … down in Eugene … the Emeralds lost 4-3 … they had runners on 1st & 3rd with no outs in the bottom of 9th, then had batters K and GIDP to end game … otherwise, a fun night
Matt Antonelli returned to Eugene after missing a few games to attend a funeral … he looked rusty at plate (his only hit was a dribbler to 1st that I woulda scored E3) and in the field (he had a major bobble on a sharp hit to him, but he recovered in time to nip the runner at 1st) … but glad to have him back on the field.