By CRAIG POTTER
Rochester erupts for 8 runs in the third inning en route to a 9-3 victory over the Chiefs.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings snapped a 2-game losing streak with a 9-3 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs on Friday night before a paid crowd of 6,290 fans at Frontier Field on Bull Durham Night.
The Red Wings celebrate one of the best baseball movies of all time with Bull Durham Night as they inducted its producer, Ron Shelton, into the Red Wings Hall of Fame. Shelton played in Rochester in 1970-71 and was a member of the 1971 Governor’s Cup and Jr. World Series championship team, labelled as the Best Red Wings team of all time.
Sports Illustrated dubbed Bull Durham the Greatest Sports Movie of All Time in 2003. The Moving Arts Film Journal ranked it #3 on its list of the 25 Greatest Sports Movies of All-Time. In addition, the film also is ranked #1 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the best-reviewed sports movies of all time.
The ’71 campaign was the utility infielder’s fifth and final in the minor leagues, before Shelton headed out to Hollywood.
The Red Wings took the lead in the first when Niko Goodrum led off with a single. With one out, Tommy Field singled him to third, and Matt Hague followed with a RBI hit.
The Chiefs grabbed the lead in the second with a pair of runs off Rochester starter David Hurlbut. Emmanuel Burris doubled in both runs. He also accounted for Syracuse’s final run in the ninth with a single off Wings reliever John Curtiss.
Hurlbut scattered 7 hits over 6 innings, walked 2 and struck out 3 batters.
“Hurlbut has been great,” said Red Wings manager Mike Quade. “I didn’t think he was anywhere as good tonight as he’s been. Part of this deal is taking advantage of a big lead. He did exactly what he needed to do to win.”
Rochester had one of its biggest outputs of the season in the third when they sent 11 batters to the plate, recorded 8 hits, and tallied 8 runs.
Mitch Garver started the rally with a single and Field singled. ByungHo Park ripped a 1-out, 2-run double down the left field line to put Rochester in front to stay. With 2 outs, Ryan Strausborger registered his first hit as a Wing, and it also drove in the third run of the uprising. Bengie Gonzalez singled and Vielma added a RBI single. Goodrum then blasted a 3-run homer over the right field fence. Garver followed 424-foot wallop over the center field wall to conclude the scoring.
“A couple of home runs. We’ll take all those that we can get,” Quade said.
That chased Syracuse starter A.J. Cole. The Chief relievers then retired the next 15 Rochester batters before Vielma broke the string with a 2-out single in the eighth.
Quade cited Garver’s play in left field as his normal position is catching, which he rotates every two games with John Ryan Murphy.
“He’s playing a pretty darn good left field,” said Quade. “He’s a better athlete than people realize. He’s not going to win any sprint races, but he moves around very well. He gets off on contact well. I think he enjoys the break of playing in the outfield, too.”
*NOTES – During the game it was announced that the Minnesota Twins signed veteran right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal. He could report to the Red Wings sometime this weekend…Kennys Vargas was recalled by Minnesota after a Twin was put on the disabled list…RHP Alan Busenitz was optioned to the Red Wings by the Twins on Friday…Mitch Garver’s single in the third inning rally ended a string of 5 consecutive strikeouts. His solo homer ended the rally and was the last hit in the game Engelb Vielma singled in the bottom of the 8th…Ryan Strausborger’s RBI single in the third was his first hit as a Red Wing…ByungHo Park’s 2-run double in the third was his first hit since the first game of the double header against Pawtucket on Wednesday.
Links
Rochester Red Wings – www.redwingsbaseball.com