Friday, March 15, 2019
Spring Training 2019
Spring
Training begins in early February. Pitchers and catchers are first to
arrive, and other players make their appearance over the next couple
of weeks. Teams begin to formulate rosters in early March, playing
games against teams in two separate areas: the Grapefruit League in
the south east of the United States, and the Cactus League in the
south west.
To prepare
for the baseball season, I grabbed a copy of “Spring Training”,
which was tucked inside the “2019 Florida Weekly Guide”. Glenn
Miller has written a series of articles to enlighten baseball fans.
His articles include a peek at activities in Fort Myers over the
years. The Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox make the “City of
Palms” their home, until the regular season arrives. The Tampa Bay
Rays use Port Charlotte to prepare for its season, not far from Fort
Myers.
For 90
years, teams have been stretching their muscles, snatching ground
balls, getting out the kinks in south-west Florida. The Philadelphia
A's started their season in Fort Myers in 1929, and won the World
Series that year, knocking off the Chicago Cubs in five games. The
other teams to win the World Series after training in Fort Myers? The
Pittsburgh Pirates, in 1960, with Bill Mazeroski leading the way with
a dramatic homer against the Yankees. The 1985 Kansas City Royals,
who beat the St, Louis Cardinals in seven games. The 1991 Minnesota
Twins, in their first year in Fort Myers, led by Kirby Puckett,
knocking off the Braves in seven games. The 2004 Boston Red Sox, with
Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz, disposing of the Cardinals in four
straight games. The Red Sox followed that victory with championships
in 2007, 2013, and last year.
The Sox play
their spring training games at home in Jet Blue Park, sometimes
affectionately called “Fenway South”. It is designed to be
similar to their home in Boston, complete with a manual scoreboard,
and a “Green Monster” in left field.
The Twins
play at Hammond Field, in a complex of several baseball diamonds.
There are more than a hundred players involved in spring training.
Most teams have a few spots to fill on their rosters. Those who do
not make the main squad will be designated to play on one of their
minor league teams. A few may become free agents, going in search of
another team that might want to use their talents.
We attended
a college game last weekend at Florida Gulf Coast University. This
game is at a very high level, with players honing their skills to
make it to the big leagues. The premier left-handed pitcher in the
Major Leagues today, Boston's Chris Sale, played at FGCU. Two others,
Jacob Barnes (Milwaukee Brewers), and Richard Bleier (Baltimore
Orioles), are also on Major League rosters.
The Eagles
trailed 8-5 going into the bottom half of the 8th inning.
Joe Kinker, who went into the game batting .478, came to bat with the
bases loaded. He cleared the left field fence to win the game for the
Eagles.
The next
day, we settled in for the game between the Twins and the Blue Jays.
The Jays exploded for five runs in the first inning, and finished the
game winning 10-1. Bo Bichette and Rowdy Tellez led the Jays with 2
home runs apiece. Cavan Biggio also had a dinger. Ryan Borucki had an
outstanding performance on the mound, limiting the Twins to five hits
over five innings. The Jays' defense was outstanding, playing
error-less ball.
It will be
an interesting season for the Jays. Gone are all of the stars of
years gone by. The roster will be made up of rookies, and other young
players. So be it. Go to Toronto. Buy a program. Enjoy the “New
Look Jays”.
But if you
get a chance, jump on a jumbo jet, head to Florida. The Jays train in
Dunedin, and you will appreciate the sun, and the fine green playing
fields. You will enjoy hearing the words, “Play Ball”!
James Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 1:13 PM 
