Farewell to a Sioux Falls Legend, Swifties Love Story in KCK among MLB Partner League highlights
The American Association of Professional Baseball season moves into its final month of play, with pennant races heating up as the calendar flips to August. All AAPB games available for free live viewing at aabaseball.tv.
Here are 10 (or so) Things to Know about the AAPB this week:
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There is much to be positive about when checking AAPB turnstile counts among the league’s 12 clubs. Over the weekend, the league surpassed the 1 million fan mark. It’s the earliest the circuit has reached that plateau since the 2019 season, when no one knew what COVID-19 was and the St. Paul Saints were still members of the league. Cleburne (nearly 40%) leads the teams trending upwards, along with AAPB stalwarts Sioux Falls (+15%), Lincoln (+9%), Chicago (+6%), and Sioux City (+5%).
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Sunday was Bluey Day at Kane County, and the Cougars celebrated with some of their youngest fans with face painting and general excitement for their favorite Wackadoo characters Bluey and Bingo. And it was an extra special day for a Make-A-Wish kid, who met players, got autographs, toured the clubhouse, and was the team’s Play Ball Kid (see photo below).
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Chicago had a record breaker as Dogs’ closer Joey Marciano (Chicago) snapped the team mark for saves when he recorded his 19th in Tuesday’s 6-4 win over Kane County in the opener of a doubleheader in Geneva, Ill. The big lefty has recorded 19 saves this season at press time, seven more than the nearest challengers.
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Another team mark fell when Ismael Alcantara (El Mirage, Ariz.) swiped two bags to set a new Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks single-season stolen base record in a 4-3 loss to the Sioux Falls Canaries Tuesday night at Newman Outdoor Field. Alcantara has swiped a league-best 49 bags this year in 59 games through Tuesday.
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Kane County infielder Josh Allen (Bartow, Fla.) reached his 100th professional career home run against Milwaukee on Sunday. He’s in his fourth season with the Cougars and sixth overall in the AAPB, and is hitting .320 with seven homers and 30 RBI at press time.
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It was an off-the field milestone for Fargo-Moorhead Director of Business Development and PA announcer Bob Roers, who last week surpassed his 500th game called as the RedHawks’ in-stadium PA announcer.
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Sad news from Sioux City as Canaries’ popular longtime usher Clarence “Michael” McGee passed away on Saturday. Per Dakota News Now, his first calling in life was to serve as an overdose response coordinator, working in treatment centers to help others overcome addiction. Loved by Canaries fans and many others in the area, he will be missed by all he encountered.
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It won’t be a Cruel Summer in Kansas City this year as the Monarchs will become the “Kansas Swiftie Monarchs” on August 10 vs. the Milwaukee Milkmen, adopting a new logo for the night and filling the Blank Space with Taylor Swift music all game. Fans know All too Well this will be a great night, as one lucky fan selected at random will receive two tickets to Swift’s Eras Tour concert this November in Indianapolis. The rest will have to just Shake it Off.
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The Gary SouthShore RailCats have become a unifying force in Northwest Indiana, and a great example is last week’s Chambers of Commerce event at U.S. Steel Yard Stadium. Thirteen Chambers were represented on the day which included a RailCats game and ribbon cutting celebrating a million dollar ballpark renovation.
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The Lincoln Saltdogs also made a strong connection locally, setting up an opportunity for the Omaha Supernovas, Nebraska’s professional volleyball team and first Pro Volleyball Federation Champions, to throw out the first pitch this Saturday on Youth Volleyball Night at Haymarket Park.
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Last week, we noted the story of Cleburne Railroaders batting practice pitcher Mike Weatherford, who served up dozens of blasts in the Home Run Challenge, leading to two Cleburne finalists in the competition and ultimately Brian O’Grady’s (Warminster, Pa.) title. On Saturday, in his last game of the season with the club, Weatherford was honored by the team with a specially made jersey as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
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The Jamestown (N.D.) Sun had this fine feature on local product Cade Torgerson, who has found a niche in the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks bullpen, tossing 25 1/3 innings over 16 games.
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Some fun theme nights coming up:
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Thursday, New American Night, Fargo-Moorhead
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Friday through Sunday, Olympics Weekend, Lake Country
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Friday, Harry Potter Night with specialty jerseys, Kane County
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Saturday, Hawaiian Night with Aloha Chicago, Kane County
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Sunday, Mexican Fiesta, Milwaukee
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