Florida Complex League
Phillies (15-11) Blue Jays (8-18) - Doubleheader - seven inning games
@ Clearwater, FL
Game One : Phillies 9 Blue Jays 7
Summary :
The Jays scored three runs in the first inning on couple of walks and a home run by Yhoangel Aponte.
Raylin Heredia singled in the bottom of the first and moved to third on a double by Marco Soto. Leonardo Rondon grounded out to the right side to score Heredia, Yemal Flores tripled to score Soto.
The Jays scored twice in the second inning on two walks, a single and double.
Kendall Simmons hit a monstrous home run in the third inning that hit off the top of the left center field scoreboard 👀💣.
Raylin Heredia and Ezra Farmer walked in the fourth inning, both scored on a double by Leonardo Rondon that he hooked into the right field corner.
The Blue Jays scored three in the fifth inning on a walk, double, two singles and a wild pitch.
Ezra Farmer reached on a fielders choice in the sixth inning, he advanced to third on a single by Raylin Heredia. Jackie Pertuz singled to score them both.
Gustavo Sosa singled in the bottom of the seventh inning, Santiago Torres pinch ran for him. Lou Helmig walked. Randy Vasquez put down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base. With the infield in Ezra Farmer hit a hard ground ball to second that the Jays second baseman fielded but then made a very wide throw to home plate attempting to get Torres who was running on contact, the ball sailed off the backstop fence which allowed both Torres and Lou Helmig to score for the walk off win!
On the Hill :
Five pitchers were used. Nicoly Pina threw a scoreless inning as did Jesus Querales and Luis Gomez. Could be my memory fading but I don’t remember Querales dropping down his arm slot in the past like he showed today, it wasn’t entirely a side winding approach but gave a different look and sweeping action. Every time I’ve seen Gomez he goes right after the hitters, no fear and a strike thrower, got to like that. I also thought that Nicoly threw the baseball better today, was letting it fly more.
At the Bat :
Raylin Heredia was three for four, he’s fun to watch, makes me think of when I first saw Johan Rojas play on the backfields. Heredia is now hitting a cool .400 on the season in 85 AB’s with a .485 OBP, he’s just 19 years old. Kendall Simmons mashed the ball today, he doubled and homered in four AB’s. Gustavo Sosa had two hits in four plate appearances, swung the bat well. Yemal Flores singled and tripled, stung the ball hard both times, very strong young man and the swing reflects that. Marco Soto and Leonardo Rondon each doubled, Soto (19 years old) is another player with very solid tools, he’s shown a quick bat and strong defensive mechanics at shortstop. Rondon had three RBIs, he’s also fun to watch, is a very smart player who has very quick hands as a hitter, just really enjoy his game, always into it and is a bundle of energy.
Defensive Gems :
Right fielder Yemal Flores made a strong throw to second base to nail a Jays runner attempting to stretch a hit into a double. Flores has always been on my radar, he’s got tools and is built like a tank. He’s in his second season in the FCL and is just 19 years old, the numbers weren’t there last year but the talent has always been evident, this season the numbers are starting to pop as well. Just sayin.
Notes :
Backfields baseball is different to watch, the skill set isn’t as developed as the higher levels but it’s also a place where you can find diamonds in the rough, there were plenty of other teams represented by scouts today, at this level the talent isn’t always reflected in the stats, it’s seeing the skill sets in person that gets observers like me excited about what these fellas might become.
Link to Boxscore : https://www.milb.com/gameday/fcl-blue-jays-vs-fcl-phillies/2023/07/13/742632/final/box
Game Two : Phillies 2 Blue Jays 0
Summary :
Santiago Torres singled in the first inning, he stole second, went to third on a fly out and scored on a sac fly by Dakota Kotowski.
Dakota Kotowski doubled in the fourth inning, moved to third on a ground out and scored on a ground out by Jorge Mendez.
On the Hill :
Guissepe Velasquez started and pitched two innings, no runs, three hits, one walk, four strikeouts. Jose Pena Jr threw two innings, no runs, one hit, three walks, three strikeouts. Ezequiel Ventura retired the first eight batters he faced, he went three innings to complete the shutout, only allowed a walk, threw strikes, fastball sat 90 to 93 mph and off set it with a hook in the mid seventies.
At the Bat :
Dakota Kotowski doubled, the team was held to two hits.
Link to Boxscore : https://www.milb.com/gameday/fcl-phillies-vs-fcl-blue-jays/2023/07/13/742633/final/box
Dominican Summer League : PPD - Rain
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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