19 94 CHAMPIONS 2012 CHAMPIONS 2016 CHAMPIONS 2017 CHAMPIONS WINNIPEG GOLDEYES 2021 GAME INFORMATION GAME: #78 ROAD GAME: #39 WINNIPEG GOLDEYES (39-37) at KANE COUNTY COUGARS (37-41) SATURDAY, AUGUST 14th , 2021 – NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE FIELD – 6:35 PM TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: WIN: RHP Landen Bourassa (2-0, 1.80) KCC: RHP Jack Fox (2-4, 4.81) MARTIN SETS GOLDEYES RBI RECORD IN COMEBACK WIN: The Winnipeg Goldeyes beat the Kane County Cougars 8-6 at Northwestern Medicine Field on Friday night. Logan Hill’s RBI single in the top of the seventh gave Winnipeg a 7-6 lead, and the Goldeyes added an unearned run on a Kyle Martin single in the top of the eighth. After Kane County built an early 2-0 lead, Martin led off the top of the fourth with a home run. The home run drove in Martin’s 91 st run of the year, setting a new Goldeyes’ single-season record. The Goldeyes took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run single from Mac Murphy. Kane County answered in the bottom half on a three-run home run from Jeffrey Baez. The Goldeyes went in front 6-5 in the top of the sixth on a wild pitch and RBI hits from Deon Stafford and Wes Darvill. Kane County tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double from Josh Rolette. Joseph Camacho picked up the win in relief. Zac Ryan pitched 2.0 shutout relief innings with four strikeouts. Donnie Hart struck out a pair in a perfect ninth to earn his third save. Eduard Reyes started and took a no-decision, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits in 5.0 innings. Reyes walked six and struck out two. ALL-TIME AGAINST THE COUGARS: The Winnipeg Goldeyes are 5-1 all-time against the Kane County Cougars, including a 3-1 record at Northwestern Medicine Field. The Cougars joined in the American Association in 2021 after playing in the Low-A Midwest League from their inaugural season in 1991 through 2019. The Cougars did not play in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kane County served as an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles (1991-92), Florida Marlins (1993-2002), Oakland Athletics (2003-10), Kansas City Royals (2011-12), Chicago Cubs (2013-14), and most recently the Arizona Diamondbacks (2015-20). The Cougars won the Midwest League championship in 2001 and 2014, and nearly 200 of their former players reached or are currently playing in the Major Leagues. Kane County’s alumni list includes MLB All-Stars Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Andre Ethier. Goldeyes’ manager Rick Forney pitched for the Cougars during their second season in 1992, finishing with a 2.48 ERA in 123.1 innings pitched. Goldeyes’ infielder Wes Darvill played briefly for Kane County in 2013. Former longtime St. Paul Saints’ manager George Tsamis was hired to pilot the Cougars during their first season in the American Association. Tsamis is one of only six managers in independent baseball history to amass 1,000-plus wins. Tsamis has guided independent clubs to four championships, most recently with the Saints in 2019. Former Saints’ hitting coach Ole Sheldon and pitching coach Kerry Ligtenberg join the Cougars in the same roles under Tsamis. The Cougars play at Northwestern Medicine Field, which has welcomed more than 11 million fans since opening in 1991. The ballpark is located in Geneva, Illinois, which is 35 miles due west of downtown Chicago. SERIES MATCHUP: The Winnipeg Goldeyes are 39-37, in fourth place in the American Association North Division, and 8.0 games behind the Milwaukee Milkmen. The Goldeyes just lost the first two games of a suspended series against the Chicago Dogs at Impact Field. The Goldeyes are third in the American Association in hitting (.287), 10 th in pitching (5.82), and tied for seventh in fielding (.978). The Kane County Cougars are 37-41, in fifth place in the North, and 11.0 games behind the Milkmen. The Cougars just lost two of three to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field. The Cougars are eighth in the league in batting (.267), second in pitching (4.55), and tied for second in defence (.981). This is the third of four head-to-head series this season between Winnipeg and Kane County. TONIGHT’S STARTERS: The Goldeyes go with rookie PROJECTED UPCOMING PITCHING MATCHUPS right-hander Landen Bourassa who is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA 8/15 at KCC: TBA vs. RHP Connor Berry (2-1, 4.76) in four starts since signing with the Goldeyes on July 21 st . 8/17 vs. GAR: TBA vs. TBA Bourassa picked up the win vs. Milwaukee last Sunday, 8/18 vs. GAR: TBA vs. TBA allowing two unearned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings. 8/19 vs. GAR: TBA vs. TBA Bourassa walked two and struck out one. Bourassa just finished his college career at the University of San Francisco (San Francisco, California) where he was 7-4 with a 2.88 ERA in 15 starts for the Dons as a sixth-year senior. Bourassa pitched four seasons at San Francisco from 2018-21, combining for a 16-9 record and a 2.93 ERA in 34 games, all of them as a starting pitcher. Prior to arriving at San Francisco, Bourassa pitched two seasons at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. Tonight will be Bourassa’s first career appearance against Kane County, as well as his first career appearance at Northwestern Medicine Field. The Cougars go with rookie right-hander Jack Fox who is 2-4 with a 4.81 ERA in 12 starts and three relief appearances this season. Fox took a no- decision vs. Houston last Sunday, allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits in 4.0 innings. Fox walked two and struck out two. The Cougars won the game 17-10. Fox has allowed three or fewer earned runs in eight of his 12 starts this season, and has allowed four or fewer earned runs in 11 of them. Fox was 1-0 with one save and a 2.77 ERA in three starts and 11 relief appearances this past spring as a graduate student at Lander University (Greenwood, South Carolina). Fox struck out 46 and walked 15 in 48.2 innings for the Bearcats. Fox pitched four seasons at Emerson College (Boston, Massachusetts) from 2017-20 where he had a combined 3.09 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 204.0 innings for the Lions. Fox is 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA in one career relief appearance against Winnipeg. Fox is 2-1 with a 4.67 ERA in six starts and two relief appearances in his career at Northwestern Medicine Field. GOLDEYES RETURN HOME: The Winnipeg Goldeyes returned to Shaw Park on Tuesday, August 3 rd with a 14-6 win over the Sioux City Explorers. It marked the Goldeyes’ first official home game since September 2 nd , 2019, which was a span of 701 days. A total of 20 games over 19 home dates were added to the remaining schedule. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION POSTSEASON FORMAT ADJUSTED: On August 4 th , the American Association announced an expanded playoff format. The top three teams in each division by winning percentage will now qualify for the postseason. The second- and third-place teams in each division will meet in a one-game playoff. The winner of the playoff game will face the winner from their own division in a best-of-five Division Series. The Division Series winners then meet in a best-of-five American Association Championship Series. The format originally called for the top two teams in each division qualifying and immediately meeting in the Division Series. GOLDEYES TRANSACTIONS: The Winnipeg Goldeyes acquired right-handed pitcher Joseph Camacho from the Cleburne Railroaders on Monday in exchange for a player to be named later. Camacho was 1-0 with a 6.57 ERA in 11 relief appearances for Cleburne, striking out seven in 12.1 innings pitched. Camacho signed with the Oakland Athletics as a non-drafted free agent in 2016, and reached the Triple-A level in 2018. The Goldeyes also signed right-handed pitcher Reed Hayes. Hayes made seven combined appearances at three levels of the Baltimore Orioles’ organization this season, including one relief appearance for the Double-A Northeast’s Bowie Baysox. Hayes was drafted by the Orioles in the 13 th round out of Vanderbilt University in 2017, and has averaged 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings during four seasons in the affiliated minor leagues. MARTIN UNOFFICIALLY SETS GOLDEYES RBI RECORD: Goldeyes’ first baseman Kyle Martin hit a pair of RBI doubles on August 12 th at Chicago before the game was suspended in the top of the ninth. The two RBI were Martin’s 89 th and 90 th of the 2021 season, which matched Juan Diaz’s franchise single-season record set in 2009. Once the game is completed, it will be recorded as having been played on August 12 th . The following night at Kane County, Martin hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth for the record-breaking 91 st RBI. EXTRA, EXTRA: Through 76 games, the Winnipeg Goldeyes are third the American Association in doubles (163), and rank third in triples (22). The Goldeyes are on pace for 214 doubles and 29 triples. The franchise records in those categories are 206 doubles in 2011 and 30 triples in 1999.