1994 CHAMPIONS 2012 CHAMPIONS 2016 CHAMPIONS 2017 CHAMPIONS WINNIPEG GOLDEYES 2021 GAME INFORMATION GAMES: #83 & 84 HOME GAMES: #43 & 44 WINNIPEG GOLDEYES (43-38) vs. KANE COUNTY COUGARS (38-45) SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 st , 2021 – SHAW PARK – 5:05 PM TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: WIN: RHP Landen Bourassa (3-0, 1.38) KCC: RHP Jack Fox (2-5, 4.66) WIN: RHP Jorge Gonzalez (4-4, 5.65) KCC: RHP Connor Berry (2-2, 5.04) GOLDEYES AND COUGARS RAINED OUT, DOUBLE HEADERS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: Friday’s game between the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Kane County Cougars was postponed due to ongoing inclement weather. With a double header already scheduled for Saturday, August 21 st , the teams will now also play a double header on Sunday, August 22 nd to complete the four-game series. GOLDEYES TAKE RUBBER GAME FROM RAILCATS: The Winnipeg Goldeyes beat the Gary SouthShore RailCats 5-2 at Shaw Park on Thursday afternoon. Deon Stafford hit an RBI double in the bottom of the second that gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Kevin Lachance hit an RBI single and was followed by a Logan Hill two-run home run that made it 4-0. The RailCats scratched out an unearned run in the top of the sixth. Wes Darvill’s sacrifice fly in the seventh re-extended the lead to 5-1. The RailCats scored another unearned run in the eighth to pull within 5-2, but Donnie Hart pitched a perfect top of the ninth to earn his sixth save. Dylan Burns started for the Goldeyes and picked up his first career win, allowing one unearned run on four hits in 5.2 innings. Burns walked none and struck out seven. Zac Ryan pitched 1.1 perfect innings in relief of Burns. ALL-TIME AGAINST THE COUGARS: The Winnipeg Goldeyes are 7-1 all-time against the Kane County Cougars, including a 2-0 record in home games, and an 0-0 record at Shaw Park. 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 43-38, in fourth place in the American Association North Division, and 7.5 games behind the Chicago Dogs. The Goldeyes just won two of three from the Gary SouthShore RailCats at Shaw Park. The Goldeyes are third in the American Association in hitting (.285), 10 th in pitching (5.55), and eighth in fielding (.978). The Kane County Cougars are 38-45, in fifth place in the North, and 13.5 games behind the Dogs. The Cougars just lost two of three to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Newman Outdoor Field. The Cougars are tied for eighth in the league in batting (.266), fourth in pitching (4.73), and tied for second in defence (.982). This is the last of four head-to-head series this season between Winnipeg and Kane County. TONIGHT’S STARTERS: In game one, the Goldeyes go PROJECTED UPCOMING PITCHING MATCHUPS with rookie right-hander Landen Bourassa who is 3-0 with a 8/22 vs. KCC-1: TBA vs. TBA 1.38 ERA in five starts this season. Bourassa picked up 8/22 vs. KCC-2: TBA vs. TBA the win at Kane County last Saturday, pitching 6.0 shutout innings on two hits. Bourassa walked two and struck out four. 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. Bourassa is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start against Kane County. Bourassa is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career starts at Shaw Park. In game two, the Goldeyes go with rookie right-hander Jorge Gonzalez who is 4-4 with a 5.65 ERA in 16 starts and one relief appearance this season. Gonzalez picked up the win at Kane County last Sunday, allowing one earned run on five hits in 6.1 innings. Gonzalez walked two, struck out three, and was pitching on three days of rest. Prior to this season, Gonzalez last pitched in 2019 as a true rookie for the Pacific Association’s San Rafael Pacifics. Gonzalez was 0-0 with a 3.75 ERA in one start and six relief appearances, striking out 19 batters in just 12.0 innings, and helped the Pacifics win the Pacific Association championship. Gonzalez pitched collegiately at Texas A&M University, International where he was 1-2 with a 5.86 ERA in two starts and 17 relief appearances over 43.0 innings for the Dustdevils in 2017. Gonzalez is in his second season of professional baseball, and is 4-4 lifetime with a 5.40 ERA in 24 games, 17 of them as a starting pitcher. Gonzalez is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in two career starts against Kane County. Gonzalez is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start at Shaw Park. In game one, the Cougars go with rookie right-hander Jack Fox who is 2-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 13 starts and three relief appearances this season. Fox took the loss vs. Winnipeg last Saturday, allowing two earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings. Fox walked one and struck out five. Fox has allowed three or fewer earned runs in nine of his 13 starts this season, and has allowed four or fewer earned runs in 12 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 also 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 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in one start and one relief appearance in his career against Winnipeg. Tonight will be Fox’s first career appearance at Shaw Park. In game two, the Cougars go with rookie right-hander Connor Berry who is 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA in seven starts and seven relief appearances this season between the Cougars and the Houston Apollos. Berry took the loss vs. Winnipeg last Sunday, allowing four earned runs on six hits in 5.0 innings. Berry walked four and struck out one. Berry has allowed two earned runs in three of his four starts with the Cougars, and has allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of his seven starts in 2021. Prior to this season, Berry last pitched in 2018 for the Boston Red Sox Rookie Gulf Coast League affiliate. Berry was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five relief appearances. Berry was drafted by the Red Sox in the 31 st round in 2018 out of the University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma). Berry served as the Sooners’ closer in 2018, picking up seven saves with a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings. Berry was a combined 4-3 with eight saves and a 2.43 ERA in 55 collegiate relief appearances from 2016-18. Berry is in his second season of professional baseball, and is 3-2 lifetime with a 4.35 ERA in 19 appearances, seven of them as a starting pitcher. Berry is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in one start and one relief appearance in his career against Winnipeg. Tonight will be Berry’s first career appearance at Shaw Park. 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.