Renegades fall short against Philly
Tom Albertson and Dean Thomas won the coin toss for us while Drew Crook and Luis Rodriguez each scored a pair of runs
After beating Philly twice in 2022, Boston traveled to Philly to kick off the Beast of the East. Dean Thomas and Tom Albertson where sent to do the coin toss after a 1-3 start in coin tosses to the season . They won the toss and would take the home team in Philly.
Boston was hoping to get off to a quick start and tried a new warm up routine to try and get it ready. For the Renegades, They would have Both Bryan Grillo and Jason Lenicheck calling the defense. Ron Cochran and Rob Weissman would be handling the battery at the plate. With the Canadian Wildfires, there was some concern about air quality, but thankfully it improved.
First inning
For Philly, Pat Krause would take the mound in his white Yankees hat that would surely turn the stomachs of many of the Renegade Red Sox fans but his sportsmanship and jokes would win them over. On the second pitch of the game, Justin Rhines lofted a fly ball into left field over the head of Shayne Cantan, joe McCormick took off to his right, dove and made the play, but Rhines hit the base just about at the same time and was called safe. Tyler Rodriguez then hit a grounder up the middle. Rob Dias slid to his left but the ball bounced over his legs toward Devenish. Devenish dove and it went by his hands and Philly lead 2-0. After John Margist whiffed, Scott Hogwood stepped up and hit a hard grounder up the middle, Shawn Devenish dove to his left and made the play as the ball hit him in the chest. This brought up the Arizona native, Cesar Lezcano. Lezcano , an improved player over recent seasons launched a bomb into left field. McCormick sprinted to his right, slid by the ball and had one chance and could not come up with it in time. This brought up Casey Krause to face his father. He launched a fly ball into center field as Grillo made a call and quickly sunk his head as McCormick ran by the ball in a play where the call was probably off by a zone. Back to Rhines who hit the first pitch he saw over Devenish’s head in center field, McCormick was there in time, laid out, but the ball dropped in front of him and by the time it rolled into McCormick’s hands, Rhines was safe. Philly was up 5-0 and Weissman called a time out. Maybe that time out helped, but either way Tyler Rodriguez hit a flare to the left side as Rob Dias came in, slid on his knees and made a stop for the third out of the frame.
Joe McCormick would lead off for Boston in his first game action of the 2023 season. He entered the game needing 7 runs to become the all-time leader in runs scored in renegade’s history behind Larry Haile. He hit a short fly ball to the left side and took off to third base. Krause froze and then came in and grabbed the ball right as McCormick reached third and Mac was safe. Shawn Devenish then hit a grounder down the third base line, Krause gave chase, Rhines gave chase but Devenish hit third to score the run. This brought up Shayne Cantan who hit the second pitch he saw up the middle for a room service Casey Krause out. Rob Dias was next, sporting a tweaked swing for the first time this season. He hit a slow roller up the middle, Tyler Rodriguez missed it and Dias was too quick to first base for the run. Drew Crook was next, making his 2023 debut. He would strike out on four pitches. Luis Rodriguez was next, pinch hitting for Joe Yee. With three strikes, he put the ball in play up the middle on the ground, Rodriguez took two steps to third before realizing first base went off and Tyler Rodriguez put him out. After one frame, Philly led 5-3.
Second Inning
In the second, John Margist would lead off. Margist lined a shot into right field that rolled to a fence that was about 190 in right field. To protect Luis Rodriguez, STOP was screamed. This field does not meet the NBBA spec of 200×200 and safety was of the most importance as two volunteers were on the fence line to protect the fielders. Margist was safe. Hogwood then dribbled the ball up the left side for a room service Rob Dias Stop. Lezcano was next, he too hit a grounder to the left side, Dias charged it but it scooted by his hands. Cantan also charged it and it scooted by him and Lezcano was in for his second run of the game. Krause would whiff for the 2nd out of the inning. Rhines would hit a dribbler up the middle, Dias corralled it and Philly scored one run.
McCormick led off in the 2nd inning. After fouling off two pitches, he hit a grounder up the middle that bounced over Krause and into the chest of a diving John Margist diving to his right. Devenish would see one pitch and ground it to the left side. Krause lost the handle on it but regained possession right before Devenish hit first base. Cantan would whiff and Boston would go down 1-2-3 with the top of the order in a critical opportunity to take the lead. Philly led 7-3.
Third Inning
Tyler Rodriguez would hit a grounder up the middle, Devenish dove to his left and it ricocheted off him into right field, Luis Rodriguez was alert in in the area. He got to the ground to grab it, but Rodriguez was too quick and scored. After a Margist whiff, Hogwood came to the plate and lofted a weak fly ball to the right side. Zuccarello was there in time but could not find the ball and by the time he lifted it off the ground, Hogwood had scored toward first base. Krause would test Zuccarello again, as he too Lezcano to the right side. The ball spun away from Guy, but he recovered to make a nice play. Krause then took his son to the right side on a weak fly ball. Zuccarello played it was well as one could, picking it up after one bounce, but Krause’s speed was too much. Rhines then hit a line drive up the middle past a diving Devenish and McCormick over ran it and Rhines had three runs (matching the Renegade’s totals). Tyler Rodriguez would end the inning with a grounder to Dias. Philly led 11-3.
Boston rarely quits and there was a lot of game left. Rob Dias would lead off the inning. After 5 pitches and three fouls, he lofted a bomb by everyone into deep left field. Philly claimed it was dead. However, the ball still had noise and Dias was safe on the hardest hit ball of the game for the Renegades. Crook then grounded a ball up the middle that Krause missed and Margist bobbled, but they had time to get Crook out. Luis Rodriguez then hit a hard grounder up the middle and sprinted toward first for a nice run. McCormick was next and on the 2nd pitch, grounded it just past the 40 foot arc and it was a foot race between him and Tyler Rodriguez. McCormick won this race and scored his 2nd run of the game and the 3rd of the inning for Boston. Shawn Devenish then blasted the 2nd pitch he saw into deep left field. Rhines took off after it, slid and the ball rolled right into his chest for a great stop to take the wind out of the Renegade’s sails. Cantan would go down on strikes for the second time and Philly led 11-6 after three innings.
Fourth Inning
John Margist led off with a grounder down the third base line. Dias took a bad angle at it and Cantan was slow to the spot. Cantan then dropped to the ground and bobbled it as Margist hit third base for the run. Hogwood then hit a bouncer up the middle which bounced over Dias, Devenish scrambled to pick it up and made the play, just in time for the out. Lezcano then hit a grounder up the middle that went under Dias, Past Devenish’s feet and McCormick could not get it in time. The play was contested but the call stood. Krause then went deep into the count and laced a line drive up the middle that got by Devenish and McCormick had little chance with Krause’s speed. Rhines whiffed. Tyler Rodriguez then blasted a ball up the middle past a diving Devenish and into Joe McCormick’s crotch. It was a cup check, and Mac was not wearing a cup, but managed to make the play. Philly led 14-6 after three and a half frames.
Rob Dias would leadoff the fourth inning. He would foul off the first two pitches and this meant he had made contact on 7 of the 9 pitches thrown to him (not too bad for a guy working on a new stance). Sadly, that trend would not continue. Maybe it had to do with the fact the second pitch of this at bat was fouled off his face. Dias would eventually strike out. Crook would hit a first pitch hard grounder to the left side. Philly called dead ball, But it was still ticking and Crook was on the bard for the first time in 2023. Luis Rodriguez then hit the first pitch he saw as a flare to the right side. He took a Perfect line to third base. The Philly coach yelled foul, but it was about a foot beyond the 40 foot line and the run was awarded after there was some controversy between the Philly players and their coach. McCormick then hit the 3rd pitch in a row from Cochran as he raced to third and Krause raced backwards after the ball. Boston was down 14-9. Shawn Devenish would then begin a battle and on the 6th pitch, hit a dribbler to Krause who missed it. Devenish was ruled safe, the play was contested and the call stood. Five straight runs for Boston. This brought a struggling Shayne Cantan to the plate, He hit a hard grounder into left and took off toward third, Krause dove, missed it and then the circus began. Rhines picked up the ball as Cantan missed third base but Rhines lost the handle on the ball and accidentally flew out of his hands about 10 feet and Cantan scrambled back to third base for the runs. Rob Dias then hit the first pitch on the fly to the left side. Casey Krause actually caught the ball on two hops and just beat Dias to the base. A great play for Krause to help stop the bleeding. Crook then hit a laser up the middle that would end up hitting the fence in deep center field for his second run of the inning. Rodriguez then hit another first pitch at bat up the middle on the ground. The bouncing ball hit Krause right in the chest as he made another great diving play. Boston had a six run inning. Nine batters came to the plate and six of them hit the first pitch. Boston was down 14-12.
Fifth Inning
John Margist would lead off the fifth and strike out for the third time of the game and just the 5th time for Philly all day. Scott Hogwood then hit a dribbler up the middle. Rob Dias was there and bobbled it two times but still had it in time to beat Hogwood. Lezcano was up next and Boston had a great chance to keep the momentum going their way. He hit the third pitch high in the air to the left side. The ball bounced in front of Dias and after the second bounce Dias picked it up on the second attempt and Lezcano had a big insurance run and is fourth of the game. Krause then hit a ball up the middle and Shawn Devenish dove to his right side, the ball hit him near his feet but Devenish could not get the ball up in time to stop the speedy Krause. Justin Rhines would stay hot hitting a bouncer to the left side past Dias and Off Shayne Cant’s T-Rex arms into left field and would score with his speed. Tyler Rodriguez would end the frame with a bouncing grounder up the middle to Rob Dias. Philly led 17-12.
Boston hoped the top of their lineup could keep them in the game after the big inning in the 4th. McCormick was 3-4 in the game and hit the second pitch off the bottom of his bat weakly on the ground to Krause for the first out in the fifth. Devenish saw four pitches and would strike out for the first time and the 5th for Cochran in the game. Shayne Cantan lofted a short pop fly to the left side. Krause sprinted in, Cantan took off too third and Krause beat him on a bang-bang play. Boston would whimper to a critical 1-2-3 inning and was down 17-12.
Sixth Inning
Margist then laced a shot into right field that hit the fence to start off the inning. These two teams should have been playing on the other field that did not have the fence because these two teams are the bigger hitting teams in the East coast. This fence had come into play too many times in this game. Thankfully, the safety protocols in place were working perfectly. Hogwood was next, and with three strikes hit a grounder to the left side. Cantan dove and missed but McCormick lined it up perfectly for the first out of the inning. This was significant as Boston did not have a game in all of 2022 where two stops were made in the deep layer of the defense. Lezcano would whiff for the second out of the inning. Then just as it happened in the 5th, Boston could not get out of the inning. Krause hit a grounder up the middle, Devenish slid and just stayed on the ground and few others moved. The ball was dead and Krause would be back with a 1-2 count. on the 7th pitch of the at bat, he hit a fly ball up the middle, Dias tracked it well but Krause slid too early and came up short of the base, giving Dias a chance to make the play. Dias was not quick enough and Krause was safe for the 5th time of the game. Rhines then hit a grounder to Rob Dias’ right, Dias did not lay out for it, Shayne used his T-Rex arms again and missed it and McCormick slid by it and Rhines had his 5th run of the game. Tyler Rodriguez then hit a grounder up the middle Dias laid out to his left and the ball hit him in the chest and Boston was out of the inning down 20-12.
Boston needed 8 runs to tie, a loft goal, considering they had scored just 12 all game. Rob Dias would be the leadoff hitter. On the third pitch of the at bat he hit a line drive up the middle. Scott Hogwood was right there and made a nice play on a good hit. Crook then hit a bouncer up the middle that Krause over ran. Crook was not fast enough and Krause was able to recover for the second out of the inning. This left Luis Rodriguez as the last hope to keep the game alive. Luis Dug in, got his base check and called “coach”. Weissman yelled set but then called for a time out as Cochran was in his wind up. Nobody knew what was going on, including Cochran. The ball had stopped beeping in Ron’s hands. Maybe that was a sign for what was to come the Renegades were dead as well. Luis took an awful swing and missed and then hit a ground down the first base line that Tyler Rodriguez played perfectly. The Philly Fire had won 20-12.
Wrap up
Philly was the better team in all facets of the game on this day. The Boston bats were inconsistent and had three inning where they did not score. Casey Krause would be the player of the game scoring 5 times in six trips to the plate and making 7 stops in the field, Justin Rhines also plated five runs as these two guys accounted for 50% of the offense and 60% of the defense. Boston was paced by Joe McCormick who had three runs and on defense, Rob Dias had 7 stops.
Renegades 12 run the Strong
Sanchez paced the offense with 4 runs. Yee has 2 runs and a stop on defense. Kimball plated 3 runs with a stop and Regan had a stop and a run
After losing 20-12 to the Philly Fire, Boston then took on the upstart Boston Strong team. 14 year old Matt Debrigard would lead off for the opponent. He would lift a short pop fly to the left side and Guy Zuccarello would come in to make the stop for the first out of the inning. Next up was a Big Chris Nagle, a very big height difference from the leadoff hitter. Nagle would hit a line drive up the middle of the field. It got past a diving Shawn Devenish and Chris Kimball laid out a beached whale and Chris Nagle had a run as he raised his hands in the air, as it could have possibly been the first run of his career. After a Quintanilla whiff, Wynter Pingal would come to the plate. She would get the bat on the ball and hit a dribbler to the right side. Joe McCormick would come in to make the stop and the Strong led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the first inning.
First inning
Joe McCormick would lead off for the Renegades as a way to get some work since he missed the first four games of the season. On the third pitch he got a ball off the bottom of the bat that dribbled out to the left side, Matt Debrigard would make the stop. Shawn Devenish was next and on the first pitch off the bottom of his bat as it trickled just past the 40 foot line to the right side of the field. George Kamara would then have a race with Shawn Devenish. Devenish would win that race and tie the game at one. Chris Kimball would strike out on four pitches, that number matched the time of night he arrived in Philly, after staying up late to attend the Ed Sheeran concert in Foxboro. Guy Zuccarello was up next, looking for his first run of the season. He launched a fly ball into left field that traveled further than both McCormick and Devenish’s hits combined but Quintanilla would hit the ground and make the play just as Guy ran into third base. After one frame, the score was 1-1.
Second inning
The second inning for the Strong was not what they were looking for as George Kamara, Christina Diaz and Debrigard all struck out. Three up and three down.
David Sanchez would step to the plate for the 100th time in his career. He would then hit a grounder up the middle and it would elude two defenders as Sanchez had his first run of the season. Joe Yee was next and hit a line drive into left field and would score with ease running toward first base. McCormick was next and launched a fly ball to center field for an easy run past the defense. Shawn Devenish was next and hit a grounder to the left side. Debrigard was able to make the stop and the 14 year old had two stops on the day against two former NBBA league all-star hitters. Kimball was next and worked the count to three strikes. Digging in and looking to get a ball in play he then grounded one up the middle and it was a foot race between two kids that may not weight 200 pounds combined! DeBrigard dropped to his knees and the ball rolled by him to his left as Kimball raced to third. Kimball was able to get to the base and score. Zuccarello then hit a grounder up the middle. Chris Nagle creeped up on the play and made the stop with plenty of time. David Sanchez was next and hit a dribbler up the middle of the field and he was able to beat it out for his second run of the contest. Joe Yee was next and hit a fly ball into left field that bounced over Quintanilla in left field for his second run of the inning. Joe McCormick was next and hit a line drive up the middle, Chris Nagle took it off the chin but made the stop to end the bleeding. Boston plated six runs and led 7-1 after two innings.
Third inning
For Boston, Weissman would start rotating players in as Elana Regan entered to replace McCormick. Nagle would lead off with 4 swings and 4 misses. This brought up Quintanilla. After taking the first pitch, he laced a line drive up the middle, Devenish slid to his right and made a nice diving stop for his first stop of the game. Pingel would whiff making her the last one in the lineup to whiff on the day.
In the bottom of the third, Devenish would lead off the frame. He would hit a grounder up the middle past Nagle and Quintanilla to lead off the inning with a run. Kimball would then hit the next pitch on a line up the middle, as he raced to first, Nagle could not get a handle on it and Kimball plated his second run of the game. Zuccarello was next but would go down on 4 swings for the first out of the inning. David Sanchez strode to the dish next and hit a dribbler to the right side. His line to first was bad and he ended up running more than 100 feet as Kamara struggled to locate the ball. Sanchez was safe easily. Joe Yee was next and after two lasers, in his first two trips to the plate, he struggled striking out on 5 pitches. This brought Elana Regan to the plate for her first at bat of the contest. She hit the first pitch she saw and it was a race between our youngest player and the 14 year old front man for the Strong. Regan took off toward first base, slid and was safe for his first run of the 2023 season as the team erupted. That noise continued as Weissman went to the bench again. This time, Rob Thayer came to the plate and he brought with him our newest pitcher, Dean Thomas. Thomas, new to the sport had been a Renegade coach for less than a month had wanted to pitch since day one on the team. He had extensive work with Thayer and Rob wanted to help him get into the game. Thomas, without a glove took the mound for the first time. The nerves may have made Dean’s palms sweaty as the first pitch bounced before home plate to the catcher. Thomas and Thayer made solid contact on the 4th pitch Thomas threw as Thayer launched it down the first base line, but it was foul. The result of the at bat was a strike out, but the energy Thomas provided was contagious and Boston was pumped up. After three innings, the Renegades led 11-1.
Fourth inning
The Renegades would continue to sub. Melissa Hoyt would enter the game and replace Shayne Cantan as the Designated fielder at first base. Guy Zuccarello vacated the left front spot to move to the mid field spot, vacated by Shawn Devenish. Rob Thayer moved to left field and Chris Kimball moved up to play the left front slot. The Strong led off the inning with George Kamara, who struck out for the second time. They then went to their bench and off popped Bella Slominsky. This young right handed hitter saw four pitches and took four solid swings. She had one foul ball, but the result of the at bat was a strike out. DeBrigard was next and hit a grounder to the left side. Kimball was there and on his second attempt scooped the ball up for the out and Kimball’s first stop since the 2023 season. The Renegades led 11-1 heading to the bottom of the 4th.
Chris Kimball would lead off the 4th for Boston and hit a grounder right to DeBrigard, as these two kept challenging each other. Matt took a few steps back before coming forward and that was the difference as Kimball slid safely into third for his third run of the game. Zuccarello was next and on the first pitch grounded it to the left side. On his way out of the box, he groaned to Weissman that he hit another ball to the left side. Wynter Pingel charged it and fell down as she approached the ball but she recovered in time to make the out. Sanchez was next and hit a grounder to the left side and it was a race between him and DeBrigard. Sanchez was quick out of the box and took a perfect line to third. That base running allowed him to beat Matt to the ball as he bobbled it once and Sanchez had a four run game. Joe Yee and Elana Regan would whiff to end the frame for Boston. That would be Joe Yee’s 200th at bat of his career- making him just the 16th player in team history to achieve that milestone. After four innings, Boston invoked the 12 run rule and was up 13-1.
Fifth and Sixth innings
As Boston took the field for the 5th inning, Lenicheck was waived off the field as the caller on the right side, as the plan was to get Gina Devenish in the game. However, she was not available and Rob Weissman took the field to the total surprise of the Renegade defense. As the right side agonized and laughed at their coach, Weissman soon called time out when he saw Gina walking back to the bench from the rest room. Time was called and the Weissman calling experience was avoided. Chris Nagle was the leadoff hitter and would strike out for his second time. This brought up Quintanilla who hit a weak chopper to the right side. Elana Regan charged it and then moved to her left and picked up the ball for her third stop of her career. Wynter Pingel then hit the first pitch she saw up the middle past a diving Chris Kimball, but Joe Yee was able to back him up and make the stop, for his first stop of the 2023 season. That would end the 5th inning. The sixth inning was uneventful as all three hitters would strike out and the game would be over.
Wrap up
The Renegades would win this contest behind the offense provided by David Sanchez, who plated four runs and Chris Kimball who had three of his own. Elana Regan was also big in this game as she scored and made a defensive stop for the Renegades. Chris Nagle and Matt Debrigard were stand out players for the Strong with their defensive efforts as they each had 2 stops each. For the Renegades, this would be the 27th time in team history they would hold an opponent to one run or less. It was also the 18th time the Renegades have won by 12 or more runs in a game and the 35th time they had 12-runned an opponent in team history.