WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th, 2019

- Oh, Bloop—Winnipeg Sun, 6/26/19 - Goldeyes Edged in Sioux City—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 6/25/19 - Explorers Rally, Take Half-Game Lead for 1st Place—Sioux City Journal (Terry Hersom), 6/26/19 - X’s Fight Back to Beat Fish—Sioux City Explorers (Connor Ryan), 6/25/19 - Explorers Rally Past Goldeyes in Series Opener (Video Link)—KTIV Sioux City (Brad Pautsch), 6/25/19 - Goldeyes Add Two, Take Injured Romanski Off Roster—Winnipeg Sun, 6/26/19 - Goldeyes Add Speedy Hill, Rookie Hovey—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 6/25/19 - Plenty of Parity in American Association—Winnipeg Sun, 6/25/19 - Winnipeg Pastor Goes to Bat for Goldeyes—Winnipeg Free Press (Brenda Suderman), 6/22/19 - Local Boy Living the Dream Pitching for the Winnipeg Goldeyes—Ken Gabel (CTV Winnipeg), 6/21/19 - Exchanging Words: Mitch Lambson (Video Link)—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Nigel Batchelor), 6/20/19 - Goldeyes’ Field is ‘Sodfather’ Fergie’s Canvas, Mower His Paintbrush—Winnipeg Free Press (Devon Shewchuk), 6/19/19

OH, BLOOP WINNIPEG SUN – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th The Winnipeg Goldeyes lost 6-5 to the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park on Tuesday night.

Nate Samson’s bloop single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth snapped a 5-5 tie and gave the Explorers their first lead of the game. Winnipeg jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-run homer from Hill.

Sioux City answered back with a run in the bottom of the first, and tied the game with a pair in the second.

Dominic Ficociello’s two-out, two-run blast in the top of the fifth put the Goldeyes back in front at 5-3, but the Explorers answered again in the bottom of the frame when Dexture McCall slugged a two-out, two-run triple.

SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS 6, WINNIPEG GOLDEYES 5 WINNING PITCHER: SC: Jose Velez (1-0) LOSING PITCHER: WPG: Marcus Crescentini (4-2) SAVE SC: Matt Pobereyko (11) HOME RUN WPG: Tyler Hill (1), Dominico Ficociello (2).

THE SKINNY: The Sioux City Explorers scratched out the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth to take their first lead of the night in a 6-5 win at Lewis and Clark Park.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Catcher Dylan Kelly, who was batting under .100 when the teams met earlier in the month, had two hits, reached base four times, and has raised his average to .268.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Jose Sermo’s line drive in the bottom of the eighth took the glove off Goldeyes’ reliever Brandon Bingel, but Bingel managed to barehand the ball against his chest before throwing to first for an inning-ending double play.

NEXT UP: The series continues Wednesday night at 7:12 p.m. Mitchell Lambson takes on right-hander Eric Karch. The game can be heard on 93.7 FM.

GOLDEYES EDGED IN SIOUX CITY STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th SIOUX CITY, IA – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (21-14) lost 6-5 to the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park on Tuesday night.

Tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth, the Explorers took their first lead of the night when Nate Samson hit a bloop single down the right field line with the bases loaded and one out.

Brandon Bingel relieved Marcus Crescentini and kept the Goldeyes within one run with a spectacular defensive play. With the bases still loaded, Jose Sermo struck a hard line drive that knocked Bingel’s glove off of his left hand. However, Bingel still managed to secure the ball barehanded against his chest for the out before throwing to first base to double off Samson.

Matt Pobereyko pitched a perfect top of the ninth inning to earn his 11th save of the year.

The Goldeyes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Alex Perez walked on four pitches leading off the game. Newcomer Tyler Hill followed with a two-run home run down the left field line. Walks to Willy Garcia and Reggie Abercrombie surrounded a Dominic Ficociello single that helped load the bases with one out. Wes Darvill hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Garcia with the Goldeyes’ third run.

Sioux City answered back in the bottom of the first on a Samson RBI single, and then tied the game in the second on a Zawada RBI single and a Kyle Wren fielder’s choice.

In the top of the fifth, the Goldeyes went back in front 5-3. Hill hustled out a one-out double on a line drive to right-centre. Two batters later, Ficociello slugged a two-run home run to right.

Dexture McCall hit a two-out, two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 5-5.

Jose Velez (1-0) earned the win for the Explorers (20-17). Crescentini (4-2) took the loss for Winnipeg.

Parker French started for the Goldeyes and took a no-decision, allowing five runs, two earned, on seven hits in five innings. French walked four and struck out two.

Max Duval started for the Explorers and also took a no-decision, allowing five earned runs on five hits in five innings. Duval walked three and struck out two.

Mitchell Aker and Joel Bender each worked a scoreless inning in relief of French.

Game two of the three-game series is Wednesday night at 7:12 p.m. Mitchell Lambson (4-1, 2.70) takes on right-hander Eric Karch (0-3, 4.43). All the action can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes return home on Monday, July 1st when they host the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at 4:05 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now by visiting www.goldeyes.com/tickets or by visiting the box office at Shaw Park.

For information on 2019 season tickets, 10-game mini packs, and group tickets, call the Goldeyes’ office at (204) 982-BASE, or visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com

EXPLORERS RALLY, TAKE HALF-GAME LEAD FOR 1sT PLACE TERRY HERSOM – SIOUX CITY JOURNAL – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th SIOUX CITY – As hot as the Sioux City Explorers are these days, nobody seemed fazed when the Winnipeg Goldeyes jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead Tuesday night at Lewis and Clark Park.

After wiping out deficits of 3-0 and 5-3, the Explorers claimed a 6-5 victory after all-star shortstop Nate Samson blooped an RBI single in the eighth inning for his third hit of the night.

Collecting base hits in all eight innings they batted, the X’s won for the 11th time in their last 12 games, grabbing a half-game lead in American Association baseball’s six-team South Division.

Sioux City, seeking its fourth division title in five years, is now 20-17 after winning just nine of its first 25 games, while Kansas City moved up to sole possession of second place at 19-17. Lincoln dropped out of a tie for the division lead, slipping to 19-18 and Sioux Falls fell to fourth as a sixth consecutive loss left the Canaries at 18-18.

“It’s a huge series for us right now, especially losing three out of four in Winnipeg,’’ said Samson, whose teammates lost three one-run decisions in Winnipeg in early June before salvaging the finale to a four-game series. “We’re trying to make a push and separate ourselves (from the rest of the division).’’

Winnipeg reliever Marcus Crescentini walked the first three batters in the bottom of the eighth before Samson’s looping fly ball down the right-field line dropped in for the go-ahead run.

“It’s the Sioux City of old, you know?’’ said Samson, whose teammates rallied from a 6-0 first-inning deficit to post a 7-6 win earlier this season. X’s starter Max Duval got off to a horrendous start, failing to retire any of the first four batters in a first inning that saw the Goldeyes score three times with a big helping hand from three bases on balls.

Alex Perez started it off with a four-pitch walk and newly acquired Tyler Hill sent the second pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a quick 2-0 lead. Duval surrendered two walks and a base hit while retiring only one of the next four batters. So, he was fortunate to get out of the inning with a 3-0 deficit on Wes Darvill’s sacrifice fly.

The hosts got one run back in the bottom of the first after Kyle Wren drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and moved to third in an errant throw. Two batters later, Nate Samson’s base hit drove Wren home.

One out into the home half of the second, the Explorers put four straight runners on base with two singles and a pair of walks off Winnipeg’s Parker French. Sebastian Zawada, the fourth batter of the inning, singled home one run and then Kyle Wren beat a double play relay to knot the score at 3-3. After settling down to retire nine of 10 batters in three scoreless innings, Duval gave up a one-out double to Hill in the fifth inning and then a two-out homer to Dominic Ficociello to give the guests a 5-3 advantage.

Back came the X’s, though, tying it up with a pair of unearned runs in the next half-inning. Michael Lang led it off with a walk, but French retired the next two batters before Adam Sasser reached on an error by Ficociello, the third baseman. Dexture McCall came through in the clutch, droving a two-run triple to right-center to make it a 5-5 contest.

A golden opportunity to finally take the lead was wasted in the sixth after Zawada’s leadoff double was followed by Dylan Kelly’s second base hit of the night.

One out later, Lang’s second free pass in as many innings loaded the bases with only one out. With defending league batting champ Nate Samson stepping to the plate, Sioux City seemed destined to do some damage. Unfortunately, Samson, one of the most difficult American Association hitters to strike out, was fanned on four pitches by reliever Mitchell Aker. Then it was Jose Sermo, a shadow of the threat he was as the 2018 league player of the year, popped up on a 1-0 pitch to end the inning.

Ryan Flores followed Duval with two shutout innings before lefty Jose Velez turned in his 13th straight scoreless outing, working the eighth and picking up the win. Then, it was closer Matt Pobereyko regaining a share of the league lead in saves with 11 with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

“Our bullpen’s been doing an unbelievable job,’’ said Samson. “We can’t ask for anything better from them.’’

“There’s some things we have to learn in tight ball games, but the important thing is we got the ‘W’,’’ said Manager Steve Montgomery.

X’S FIGHT BACK TO BEAT FISH CONNOR RYAN – SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th Sioux City, IA - It has been five games now between the Sioux City Explorers and Winnipeg Goldeyes. And outside of a game decided by a complete game shut out by Taylor Jordan, all of the contests between the two long time rivals have been decided by the slimmest of margins, a single run. And that was no different on Tuesday night when the Goldeyes rolled into town and the Explorers came away with the victory 6-5.

Nate Samson was the hero for the Explorers in this one as he went 3-5 with a pair of RBI’s and none was bigger than the RBI base hit he had in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out. With the game tied 5-5 after Marcus Crescentini loaded the bases with walks, Samson battled and was able to fit a bloop single down the right field line to put the Explorers ahead for the first time all game.

The X’s had been battling back all game long. After Winnipeg took a 3-0 lead off the strength of a two run home run by Tyler Hill in his first Goldeyes at bat. The X’s again on a base hit by Nate Samson cut the deficit to 3-1. In the second the Explorers scored a pair of runs to tie the game 3-3 on an RBI single from Sebastian Zawada and a Kyle Wren fielders choice.

Winnipeg once again jumped out in front this time in the fifth, thanks to the second long ball of the year from Dominic Ficociello to go ahead 5-3. But again it was the Explorers battling back in the home half of the frame thanks to a two out, two run triple by Dexture McCall tying the game 5-5.

That’s how it stayed till Samson’s heroics as the Explorers bullpen shut down the Winnipeg offense. Over the final four innings Ryan Flores, Jose Velez and Matt Pobereyko combined to shut out the Goldeyes and allowed just one single base runner. Pobereyko was able to pick up his eleventh save of the season.

Both starters, Max Duval and Parker French, received no decisions as they both went five innings and allowed five runs.

Sioux City now with the win and a Lincoln Saltdogs loss holds first place in the American Association South Division to themselves with a record of 20- 17. Having won twelve of their last fourteen.

The Explorers and Goldeyes look to play another exciting one on Wednesday night as Eric Karch takes the mound for Sioux City and will face off against left hander Mitchell Lambson for the Goldeyes with first pitch set for 7:12 pm from Sioux City.

VIDEO: EXPLORERS RALLY PAST GOLDEYES IN SERIES OPENER BRAD PAUTSCH – KTIV SIOUX CITY – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th LINK: https://ktiv.com/2019/06/25/explorers-rally-past-goldeyes-in-series-opener/

GOLDEYES ADD TWO, TAKE INJURED ROMANSKI OFF ROSTER WINNIPEG SUN – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26th The Winnipeg Goldeyes made several transactions on Tuesday in advance of their series-opener at Sioux City.

The Goldeyes added outfielder Tyler Hill, who was playing in the New York Yankees’ organization earlier this season for the High-A Florida State League’s Tampa Tarpons.

Last year, Hill posted a .348 on-base percentage with 27 stolen bases for the High-A Salem Red Sox. The Wilmington, Del. native swiped 42 bags for the Low-A Greenville Drive in 2017.

“Obviously we’re shorthanded,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “We can’t go on this road trip with just nine (position) players. I’ve done business with Tyler’s agent for quite some time, and we were able to get him signed. He’s hungry and anxious to get playing again. He’s a young, athletic guy, and we’re hoping he can bring a little bit more speed to our lineup.”

Hill has averaged 40 steals per 162 games during his six-year professional career. The 23-year-old was drafted by the Boston Red Sox out of high school in 2014. The Detroit Tigers selected Hill this past December in the minor league phase of the Rule V Draft before subsequently dealing him to the Yankees.

The Goldeyes also signed rookie infielder Jordan Hovey. Hovey recently finished his college career at Division-I Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. The 21-year-old Hovey finished his senior season with a .389 on-base percentage and a .453 slugging percentage for the Creighton Bluejays. A left- handed hitter, Hovey adds depth to the Goldeyes’ infield following the recent loss of shortstop Adrian Marin.

Winnipeg will be without all-star outfielder Josh Romanski in the immediate future. Romanski suffered an upper body injury in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader versus Milwaukee, and was taken off the Goldeyes’ active roster.

The Goldeyes take on a red-hot Sioux City Explorers club this week. The X’s went into Tuesday having won 13 of their previous 17 games, and had moved into a tie for first place in the South Division.

The Explorers have been historically tough at Lewis and Clark Park, especially under sixth-year manager Steve Montgomery.

Since taking over in 2014, Montgomery has build his offence around speed and contact, which is conducive to scoring runs on Lewis and Clark Park’s harder infield surface.

“It’s hard to play here,” Forney said. “You have to spend some time playing in it to get comfortable. They have really good rotation pieces, some good guys in the bullpen, so they’re going to pitch it. Their offence has been better. They’re putting the ball on the ground and hitting more line drives. When you hit the ball hard on the ground in this park, you can get rewarded, so we’ll have our hands full.”

GOLDEYES ADD SPEEDY HILL, ROOKIE HOVEY STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes made several transactions in advance of Tuesday’s game at Sioux City, including the addition of outfielder Tyler Hill and rookie infielder Jordan Hovey.

Hill played in 51 games earlier this season for the High-A Florida State League’s Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees), hitting .242 with five home runs and 20 RBI. Last season, the Wilmington, Delaware native posted a .348 on-base percentage with 27 stolen bases in 124 games for the High-A Carolina League’s Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox).

Hill was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round in 2014 out of the Delaware Military Academy in Wilmington. The 23-year-old is in his sixth season of professional baseball, and joins the Goldeyes with a career .351 on base percentage. Hill has averaged 88 runs scored, 25 doubles, eight home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 59 walks per 162 games as a professional. A right-handed batter and fielder, Hill was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the minor league phase of the 2018 Rule V Draft before he was subsequently traded by Detroit to the New York Yankees.

Hill homered and doubled in his Goldeyes’ debut on Tuesday night at Sioux City.

Hovey just finished his college career at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. The Edwardsville, Illinois native hit .262 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 49 games for the Bluejays this past spring. The 21-year-old also played at Jefferson College (Hillsboro, Missouri) and Missouri State University (Springfield, Missouri). A left-handed batter and right-handed defender, Hovey compiled a .401 on-base percentage during his four collegiate seasons.

The Goldeyes also re-signed left-handed pitcher Joel Bender who had made six relief appearances before he was released from the active roster on June 7th in order to recover from upper body tightness. Bender officially returned on Tuesday, and pitched a scoreless inning at Sioux City.

Shortstop Adrian Marin was placed on the Inactive List last Wednesday due to an upper body injury, and is eligible to return on July 18th.

The Goldeyes released outfielder Josh Romanski from the active roster. Romanski suffered an upper body injury in the nightcap of Saturday’s double header versus Milwaukee, and will continue to rehab in Winnipeg.

Additionally, the Goldeyes released right-handed pitchers Harrison Cooney and Eric Carter. Cooney had made six starts and three relief appearances for the Goldeyes. Carter was signed on April 19th before starting the season on the Inactive List. Carter has elected to retire from professional baseball.

The Goldeyes’ active roster currently stands at the American Association maximum 23 players.

Game two of the three-game series at Sioux City is Wednesday night at 7:12 p.m. Mitchell Lambson (4-1, 2.70) takes on right-hander Eric Karch (0-3, 4.43). All the action can be heard locally on 93.7 FM CJNU and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes return home on Monday, July 1st when they host the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at 4:05 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale now by visiting www.goldeyes.com/tickets or by visiting the box office at Shaw Park.

For information on 2019 season tickets, 10-game mini packs, and group tickets, call the Goldeyes’ office at (204) 982-BASE, or visit the Goldeyes’ official website at www.goldeyes.com

PLENTY OF PARITY IN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION WINNIPEG SUN – TUESDAY, JUNE 25th The Winnipeg Goldeyes take on the South Division’s Sioux City Explorers this week, but are in the midst of a stretch in which eight of 10 series are against opponents from the North.

The Goldeyes pulled within 2.5 games of the first-place St. Paul Saints following their win against Milwaukee on Sunday.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league this year from the teams we’ve seen, and watching videos of everyone else,” Goldeyes manager Rick Forney said. “There’s really not a lot of separation from what people would think are the really good teams in the league right now and the teams who have losing records.

“Sioux City is a great example. When they came to Winnipeg, we won some games against them, but we could have easily lost three out of four.”

After beginning the season 6-13, the Explorers are arguably the hottest team in the American Association. Steve Montgomery’s club has won 13 of its last 17 games. The hot streak began on June 6 at Shaw Park when former major-league right-hander Taylor Jordan threw a complete game, three-hit shutout that prevented the Explorers from being swept in a four-game series.

The Goldeyes are 9-5 against the North Division thus far, but have yet to test themselves against perennial contenders St. Paul and Fargo-Moorhead. All 25 of the Goldeyes’ head-to-head games with the Saints and RedHawks were back-loaded after the start of July, which should make for an interesting race in the second half.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league, and there’s a lot of parity in our division,” Forney added. “There are no do-overs when you’re playing these division games. It’s not going to surprise me if we’re all knotted up at the end of the season. Then you have to go back to head-to-head record, so you’re going to have to win division games.”

THOSE SNEAKY GOLDEYES With Shaw Park now in its 21st season, the makeshift baseball diamond at old Winnipeg Stadium is becoming more of a distant memory. The Fish played its first five seasons at what was often referred to as “deformity field.”

From 1953-64, the original Winnipeg Goldeyes also played at the Blue Bombers’ former home.

Milwaukee Milkmen pitching coach Bart Zeller vividly remembers his club employing an interesting form of gamesmanship.

“It was the craziest thing,” Zeller said on playing baseball in the corner of a football stadium. “If a team was coming in, and they had a lot of power hitters, they moved the fence back. And when were facing a team that liked to dink ‘em in, we moved the fences in to help out our own hitters.”

UP NEXT The Goldeyes kick off a six-game road trip tonight with the first of three against the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park. Parker French takes on right-hander Max Duval. First pitch is at 7:12 p.m. The game can be heard live on 93.7 FM.

WINNIPEG PASTOR GOES TO BAT FOR GOLDEYES BRENDA SUDERMAN – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – SATRUDAY, JUNE 22nd This Sunday morning, Winnipeg pastor Scott Koop pitches a spiritual doubleheader, starting at his home church and finishing up at the city’s cathedral to baseball.

After his responsibilities at Portage Avenue Church, he’ll head to Shaw Park for a 10:30 service as volunteer chaplain for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

"In some sense, I’m more a chaplain for the ballpark than for the team because I don’t travel with the team," says the associate pastor of Portage Avenue Church.

Whenever there’s a Sunday home game — seven times this season — Koop leads short chapel services for up to 10 players in the Goldeyes dugout, and then walks to the visiting team’s dugout to repeat the process.

"There’s a lot of players for whom church and faith and acknowledgment of God has been part of their life, so they appreciate getting to church even though they can’t get there," says Koop, a baseball chaplain since 2013.

He leads those two services based on materials provided weekly by the Florida-based Baseball Chapel, and then spends a few minutes with the three game officials.

"I have a little bit of a soft spot for the umpires because they’re away from their families, too, and they never have a home game," says the sports fan and muscle car enthusiast.

Part of an elite team of chaplains serving professional sports in Winnipeg, Koop signed up after former Goldeyes chaplain Lorne Korol took on the Winnipeg Jets in addition to his roles serving the Manitoba Moose and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Henry Dueck assists Korol with the Moose and serves as chaplain to the Winnipeg Blues and Ice junior hockey teams.

"This work is important as our ministry provides a sanctuary for athletes to learn and grow in their faith, but it is also a safe place for those athletes investigating their faith," says Korol, an employee of the Christian organization Athletes in Action.

Koop volunteers with Baseball Chapel, a non-denominational Christian organization which provides chaplains to each major and minor league baseball team in North America, as well as to summer and winter leagues and academies in Latin America.

In addition to his Sunday duties, he spends considerable time at the ballpark, cheering from the stands for as many of the 50 home games as possible, and then checks in with the players after the last inning.

"The biggest reality as a chaplain is I’m always making the team aware that I am here for you, to whatever degree you want," he says.

The team appreciates Koop’s quiet presence and his willingness to listen, Goldeyes vice-president Regan Katz says.

"Scott makes himself available to anyone if they want to have a conversation," he says.

Those conversations might be about a spiritual matter, but often they’re about family matters or about the loneliness of being on the road for nearly four months a year.

Lately, Koop has fielded more requests for prayers for well-being on the team bus, due to the horrific April 2018 accident involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team that killed 16 people and injured 13 more.

"There are a lot more prayers for safety in travel," he says of the aftermath of the crash.

Whatever the topic, Koop must step up to the plate quickly, taking his swing at ministry in the space between practices and getting back on the bus for the next leg of road games.

"Any sort of relationship is very compressed," says the graduate of Steinbach Bible College, who has been in ministry for 22 years.

"In some sense, when I come (to the ballpark), they know why I’m there."

At times, his chaplaincy work informs his day job, which includes providing pastoral care to seniors and young adults in his congregation. Earlier this month, Koop brought 40 of his congregants to Shaw Park for the annual faith night, where Goldeyes players Josh Romanski and Parker French shared their faith stories before the game.

In his six years with the team, Koop has learned a few things from the players about winning, losing and keeping your eye on the ball.

"You want to be focused and intentional in your spiritual life, but you also want to be focused and intentional in your play," the 53-year-old Selkirk resident says.

And there’s a bit of perspective involved as well. No player can be on fire for all 100 games, and in the end, playing ball is just play.

"While it’s great what they’re doing and they enjoy it, they do understand life is more than just a game."

LOCAL BOY LIVING THE DREAM PITCHING FOR THE WINNIPEG GOLDEYES KEN GABEL – CTV WINNIPEG – FRIDAY, JUNE 21st “How cool an atmosphere for the debut I had and we were all smiling big time.”

Winnipeg-born-and-raised Ryan Johnson made his pitching debut on May 29 with the Winnipeg Goldeyes -- the first local ball player to make the team since pitcher Donnie Smith in 2006.

He attributes his success to basic genetics.

“You get more opportunities when you are bigger and left-handed,” says Johnson. “There are not too many lefties out there; it definitely opened a lot of doors.”

Johnson had to leave the province to pursue his career. After Grade 11 at Sturgeon Heights High School, he headed west to play and graduate in St. Albert, Alta. The next stop was southbound to Missouri, then Idaho, and then a stop in Texas.

Johnson is happy to be home to see familiar faces.

“It was a pretty amazing feeling being at home and in front of everyone,” he says.

Along with friends and family, Johnson’s former teammates were in the crowd on his opening day game.

“They were up in the Box O there,” he says, pointing to the stands. “They were going bananas the whole time. That made me laugh.”

Johnson, like most athletes, has had some form of routine for good luck before each game, but as he gets older, things have changed. “I used to have this mind-set routine, all this kind of stuff, then I’d have a bad game,” he says. “Wait a sec, I’d do all these things right and I still had a terrible game, then what does it really matter?”

He now has only one pre-game routine and doesn’t think it’s superstitious.

“I listen to the same music before and try and get in the zone, but that’s it,” he says.

So far his routine is working. He was the winning pitcher on his major league debut. Johnson is very optimistic that “the Fish” will have a great season. “I think we are going to do pretty good,” he says.

VIDEO: EXCHANGING WORDS: MITCH LAMBSON NIGEL BATCHELOR – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – THURSDAY, JUNE 20th LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvHgVbnpHs

GOLDEYES’ FIELD IS ‘SODFATHER’ FERGIE’S CANVAS, MOWER HIS PAINTBRUSH DEVON SHEWCHUK – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19th The beautifully manicured field at Shaw Park has always hit a home run with the fans.

Baseball Digest has, consistently, ranked it as one of independent ball's top-five nicest ballparks. But with two acres of field to take care of, maintaining the diamond is a big job. Fortunately, Donald (Fergie) Ferguson is the "Sodfather" behind it all.

"I was always a golf course guy, so I knew my grass," Ferguson says.

The 67-year-old has been the head groundskeeper for the Goldeyes since Shaw Park (formerly CanWest Global Park) opened in 1999. Ferguson has seen a lot of crazy things over the years, but said it's hard to top the ballpark's opening night.

"Our very first ball game, we're laying sod as the team is coming on the field to play the game," he says.

"We had to lay these little pieces of sod down and they made a ‘no bunting’ rule — it was really quite interesting for that one. The sod was legitimately thrown down minutes before the game."

Since then Ferguson has developed a routine, one that he's stuck to for the past 21 years. His morning begins with a weather check, then he makes his way to the field, grabs his list of repairs to complete and then waits for the dew to dry off the grass. After that comes his favourite part of the day.

"I enjoy cutting grass, it’s my quiet time, as I call it. Nobody can drive me crazy when I’m out here cutting grass. Most of the time I won’t even get off the lawnmower if my phone rings, I just have to finish the grass and get it done," he says.

Ferguson cuts the grass once every two days when the team is the road, but daily during home games to keep the field in top playing shape. After each game-day cut, he creates a design using the rollers on his lawnmower.

"Everybody likes to see some kind of design. I like stripes, circles, checkers, diamonds. Sometimes I cut different angles across the field. Once in a while I watch TV and see something new and I want to try it on ours. You just got to try and fit it in here," he says.

"Takes a little bit of planning in your mind to get this thing drawn out in your head, but other than that it works out pretty good."

Depending on the design, Ferguson spends between an hour-and-a-half to more than three on the mower before each home game. Shaw Park visitors can expect to see a new design from him every three days, unless he feels the need to change the team's luck.

"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t — depends what happens. I’m very superstitious. So if we’re winning I keep it going, if we don’t I gotta change it," he says.

Goldeyes' longtime bullpen catcher Danny Perron says it's Ferguson's heart and dedication that makes him such an important member of the squad.

"He’s the heart, the bloodline of this organization. He makes everything go smooth. Everything you don’t see that runs perfectly well, that’s because Fergie is a part of it."

Although Ferguson has Shaw Park's field maintenance down to a science by now, there are things that are out of his control.

"This season has been terrible for rain," he says. "Last year wasn’t bad at all, this year we’re making up for it. It makes it a little more interesting, but also a little more difficult."

The Fish have been rained out three times thus far this year, twice on home turf. Whenever there's a threat of rain, Goldeyes staff have to team up, drop everything and roll out a massive tarp to protect the diamond. Goldeyes general manager Andrew Collier is always part of the "tarp party," as he calls it, but says it's the only field-related thing he's had to think of since Ferguson joined the organization in '99.

"I know the grass is going to be in good shape and I know he's going to be here doing his thing, it just makes my life easier because it's one less thing for me to worry about," says Collier. "Especially when there's rain or a threat of rain, we work very well together."

One of Ferguson's fondest memories is preparing intricate field designs in all three all-star games Shaw Park has hosted. It took hours on the mower, but he says it's just all in a day's work.

"I have to make the game happen, that’s all I know. That’s my main concern, I gotta get the game going. I don’t want no excuse that I had anything to do with slowing down the game, the game has to go," he says.

With the season only a quarter of the way through, fans still have plenty of time catch a game and see Ferguson's latest design.

And if you see him at the ballpark, just call him Fergie.