The Kansas City T-Bones ran their season-long winning streak to three games with a 11-0 shutout win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Tuesday night in Indiana. On the surface that would be the easy part of the story; toss in two rain delays and some bizarre plays, and it was one wild night on Lake Michigan.
Joe Jackson was ejected from the game after his first at bat in the top of the second. His defensive and offensive replacements in Patrick Brady and Marcus Lemon would play a big part in the outcome.
In the third inning both clubs were involved in a head-scratching double play. The T-Bones loaded the bases and looked like they would break through and take the lead.
Patrick Brady hit a hump back liner toward the bag at second that second baseman John Holland dropped or knocked down. The runners initially held their bases, thinking Holland would catch the ball, but they had to break from their tag after Holland let it bounce just two steps away from him. Holland easily tossed to second, and the RailCats turned the double play at first, just getting a head first-diving Brady.
In the bottom of the inning Gary had runners at first and second with no outs. With the corner infielders playing in, Randy Santiesteban slapped a ball through the five and six hole to left field. Patrick Brady, who moved to left field because of Jackson’s ejection, threw home as the RailCats tried to score, getting Ryan Fitzgerald at the plate. Christian Correa threw to third to get Holland, who tried to move to third on the throw home. The scoring was a rare seven to two to seven double play.
Kansas City would get all the runs it would need in the top of the fourth. Daniel Rockett drove in the first run of the game with a two-out RBI single.
Christian Correa followed by hitting a deep ball to center that RailCats center fielder Chase Harris could not flag down. Harris hit the wall hard and tumbled into the warning track and lay flat on the ground. Correa raced around the bases for a three run inside the park home run.
The script really gets crazy from here: The inside-the-park home run came on the same day, May 30th , that former T-Bone Geoff McCallum achieved the same feat by hitting the first pitch of the game for Kansas City in a 2008 contest at Schaumburg. That night left fielder Alfred Joseph slipped in the wet conditions, allowing the ball to roll to the wall. In an additional twist, it also happened to be against the same the club now owned by RailCats ownership and now a member of the Frontier League.
The game then had its first of two rain delays. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, the grounds crew covered the field. After 29 minutes the field was uncovered, and play resumed with Kansas City getting the final two outs of the home half of the fourth.
Then came another 33-minute rain delay, and the field was covered again as play was about to continue in the top of the fifth inning. Finally, after just over an hour delay total, play resumed uninterrupted.
Kansas City scored five more runs in the fifth once play resumed. Marcus Lemon, who had the night off originally but was forced into the game on the ejection of Joe Jackson, had a two-RBI single to make it 6-0 off Gary starter Jeff McKenzie. Daniel Rockett hit a three-run home run to make the score 9-0 T-Bones off reliever Braulio Torres-Perez.
Lemon later added another RBI single in the seventh, and Kevin Keyes added a ninth inning solo homer for Kansas City to make the score an 11-0 final. The T-Bones scored at least 10 runs for the fourth time on the current road trip.
Kansas City starter Calvin Drummond threw four scoreless innings but did not return after the second rain delay and the game 9-0 in favor of Kansas City. The T-Bones pen of Rich Mascheri, Aaron Brooks, Kamakani Usui, Cody Winiarski and Grant Sides tossed an inning each of scoreless relief to earn the club’s first shut out of the season. The win went to Mascheri (1-0) while the loss was charged to McKenzie (0-2).
The T-Bones 10-game road trip continues Wednesday night with game three of the four game series. Right-hander Gabe Perez goes for Kansas City against RailCats ace Charle Rosario. The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network online at tbonesbaseball.com.
The T-Bones return home Monday, June 5, to play host to Wichita in the first game of a three-game series. Tickets are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
