Fort Wayne TinCaps (1-0) @ Bowling Green Hot Rods (0-1)
LHP Logan Allen vs. LHP Brock Burke
Friday, April 7 — Bowling Green Ballpark — First Pitch 7:35 p.m. — Game 2
LAST NIGHT: The TinCaps opened up their 2017 season with a 4-1 win at Bowling Green. A Hudson Potts sac fly gave Fort Wayne a 1-0 lead in the first. With the game tied, 1-1, in the sixth Jorge Oña ripped a 2-run triple and later scored on a wild pitch. Starter Jesse Scholtens was fantastic for 5.2 innings, striking out 11.
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL RECORD: Last night’s game included 35 combined strikeouts — tying for the most ever in a 9-inning Minor League Baseball game, according to records that date back to 2005. The only 2 other times it’s happened since ’05: Double-A Chattanooga @ Montgomery on April 9, 2015, and between the Arizona League A’s and Brewers on Aug. 22, 2006… The previous high for a Midwest League game since ’05 came on Aug. 25, 2014 (Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities)… The MLB record for combined strikeouts in a 9-inning game is 35 (Nationals-Mets, Oct. 4, 2015).
STRIKEOUT CITY: Jesse Scholtens (11), Ben Sheckler (5), and Mark Zimmerman (1) combined for 17 strikeouts. The last time TinCaps pitchers struck out 17 batters was last year on May 6 at Kane County (Brett Kennedy, Trey Wingenter, and Gerardo Reyes)… Prior to that, though, the last time TinCaps pitchers fanned 17 or more in a game was Aug. 25, 2011 at South Bend when 5 pitchers (including Keyvius Sampson and Kevin Quackenbush, who’ve both gone on to pitch in the bigs) K-ed 18… The franchise record for strikeouts recorded in a game is 20. That’s occurred twice, albeit in marathon games (last year on Aug. 5 at South Bend in 15 innings, and Aug. 21, 2013 vs. South Bend in 16)… Meanwhile, the TinCaps struck out 18 times at the plate. Last year’s team did that on Aug. 25 at Great Lakes.
OÑA ON TRACK: The TinCaps had only 3 hits Thursday night, but right fielder Jorge Oña provided 2 of them. The 20-year-old from Cuba was signed by the Padres last year for $7 million. Only left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon (also signed by the Padres, for $11 million) received a larger bonus in last year’s international free agent class in all of baseball. (The Reds gave shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez $7M too.) The largest signing bonus ever given to an international amateur prior to 2016 (excluding Cubans) was $6 million to Lucius Fox from the Giants in 2015. Fox was then traded to the Rays last August and is now with Bowling Green.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: At 17, Eguy (Eggy) Rosario is not only the youngest TinCap and not only the youngest in the Midwest League, but the youngest player in all of Minor League Baseball right now (according to Baseball America). Reinaldo Ilarraza is the 4th youngest in the MWL, while Fernando Tatis Jr. checks in at 5th, Hudson Potts 7th, and Jack Suwinski 10th. They’re all 18.
