Game 61 Recap: It Was a Game That Happened
Ballers fall to Yuba-Sutter 20-10 on just one of those days
by Roberto Santiago
There was definitely a baseball game last night between the Oakland Ballers and the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds. No one can dispute that fact. The once and future Reed Butz got the start but did not record an out while giving up 7 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. Brock Mayer followed up on the mound and gave up 9 runs, though only 7 were earned. Ahmad Harajli came next, surrendering only 3 runs in his 2.2 innings. The Ballers’ magical pitcher of the night was outfielder Noah Blythe, who pitched 3 innings of 1 run, 5 hit ball. His ERA dropped to 9.72 with the effective mop-up outing. Blythe’s value as a hitter is unquestioned, but can he be Oakland’s Shohei Ohtani? It may be worth exploring.
For Yuba-Sutter, every batter in the lineup had at least one hit, with CF Cooper Hext collecting 6 all on his own. Hext’s perfect night epitomizes his brief tenure with the Freebirds, as he’s hit .424 in his first 7 games to open his Pioneer League career. Christian Castaneda and Isaac Nunez each had 4 RBI for the home team.
Playing from (way) behind or not, scoring 10 runs is nothing to sneeze at. Tristan Moore continues to be a force for Oakland in the second half, collecting a team-leading 3 RBI last night. Jaden Collura had 3 hits while settling in behind the plate in his customary role after playing DH and OF during the second half. Do-it-all Blythe would not allow his impact to be limited to the mound as he chipped in 2 hits, including a home run, and 2 runs batted in.
Without much more to report, here are some interesting things that happened in 2010:
The first iPad was released.
The Lost finale frustrated a nation.
CeeLo gave us the greatest F-off song of all time.
OK Go’s Rube Goldberg machine music video mesmerized.
Instagram and Angry Birds appeared on our phones.
Lay Gaga’s meat dress was meaty.
Wiki Leaks leaked.
Prop 8 and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell were both overturned.
Chilean miners were rescued and we started to see how weird Elon Musk is.
Prefer the home score first? Here’s what happened in 1020:
1020 was a leap year.
Roman Emperor Henry II (of Germany) conducts his third military campaign in Italy but does not invade the south.
Canute/Cnut the Great codifies English laws.
Future Pope Stephen IX is born.
Explorer Lief Erikson, first European to set foot in North America, dies.
Odds & Ends:
Tremayne Cobb is off the IL and eligible to play today.
P Austin Balentine and OF Myles Beale were released.
This was the highest-scoring Pioneer League game of the night, but only by a little. Ogden and Long Beach combined for 26 runs, Billings and Idaho Falls 26, and Glacier and Boise 27.
There’s another game this evening. It will likely go better.
Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.
