6/26/09 Yakima Bears update
June 26, 2009 by Roger Underwood
Next game
Opponent: Eugene Emeralds.
When, where: 7:05 p.m. today, Yakima County Stadium.
Probable pitchers: Eugene RHP Chris Wilkes (0-1, 9.64) vs. Yakima RHP Ricardo Taveras (0-0, 0.00).
Notes
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS?: Where Astolfo Inciarte’s 17-pitch at-bat ranks on baseball’s all-time list is unclear since such statistics are not tracked by the Elias Sports Bureau. But Bears radio broadcaster and team publicist Drew Bontadelli reports that, according to Baseball Digest and the St. Petersburg Times, Hall of Fame shortstop Luke Appling fouled off 24 pitches in one plate appearance against Red Ruffing in 1940 and eventually drew a walk.
Inciarte’s prolonged at-bat, as an eighth-inning pinch hitter Wednesday night, culminated in a single that gave the Bears the go-ahead run in their 6-3 win over Eugene.
BEAU KNOWS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Beau Didier, son of Bears manager Bob Didier, was not with LSU’s baseball team when the Tigers won the College World Series on Wednesday night, but will probably get a ring because he’s part of the program.
The younger Didier redshirted as a freshman last spring after suffering a throwing arm injury that required Tommy John surgery.
Before his operation on Feb. 25, however, the Bellarmine Prep graduate was given an at-bat in the second game played in LSU’s $41 million, 9,000-seat stadium, and hit a pinch-hit two-run homer.
A PAINFUL PUNCHOUT: Collin Cowgill, the center-fielder who hit 11 homers in only 20 games with Yakima last summer before being promoted to South Bend, was having a solid season at high Class A Visalia until a recent mishap.
Though he’d batted .277 with six homers and 36 runs batted in through 61 games with the Rawhide, Cowgill struck out in a recent game and then reportedly punched a wall in frustration, breaking his hand. He is presently on the disabled list.
VISITING DIGNITARIES: Joel Youngblood and Jeff Pico, members of the Arizona Diamondbacks staff, have been in Yakima since the the Bears returned Tuesday night from their opening series at Spokane.
Youngblood, who played for five major league teams from 1976-89, is the D-backs’ minor league outfield-baserunning coordinator. Pico, Yakima’s pitching coach in 2003, pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 1988-90 and presently is Arizona’s roving minor league pitching coordinator.
He succeeded Yakima native Mel Stottlemyre Jr. in that capacity when Stottlemyre was named pitching coach of the Diamondbacks after farm director A.J. Hinch replaced Bob Melvin as Arizona’s manager earlier this season.
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Filed under All, Pros, Yakima Bears/NWL
