Chicago Outlaws Sweep Doubleheader
May 24, 2010 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release
For any player making a debut with a new team, the thought process is usually the same-they want to impress. Right hander Kris Honel, making his first start of the season and debut with the Chico Outlaws, is like everybody else in that regard.
The difference is, Honel went really far out of his way to do just that-impress. Pitching in game one of a double-header against the Tijuana Cimarrones, he threw a seven inning no-hitter to get the win in his Outlaws debut.
The final line on Honel was seven innings pitched, no hits, no runs, three walks and 10 strikeouts while facing just 23 batters. "Kris was absolutely dominating this afternoon", said Outlaws manager Garry Templeton. "They (Cimarrones) had no answer for what he (Honel) was dealing today."
But wait, there's more. The final score of the game was 20-0 as the Outlaws gave Honel plenty of run support, while Honel did the rest by silencing the Cimarrones bats. Outfielders Blake Gailen (3-5, 2 runs,RBI) and Mitch Einertson both finished one hit shy of the cycle. Gailen was short a homerun; Einertson needed a triple to complete the feat. The Outlaws scored five runs in the first inning, highlighted by two 2-run homeruns, one by JJ Sherrill (1) and the other from Mitch Einertson (1). Chico scored six more runs in the second inning, with Honel helping his own cause with a single in the frame.
Shortstop Pascual Del Real hit his first professional homerun in the third inning, going out of the yard in a big way with a grand slam homerun. John Urick hit his third homerun of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning, while Rich Janeway tacked on another two run shot in the fifth inning to close out the scoring for the Outlaws.
Honel, a former first round draft choice (16th overall) of the Chicago White Sox in 2001, has had some bad breaks in his career. After going to major league spring training in 2004 with the White Sox, he hurt his arm and was pretty much shelved for the season after appearing in just four games. In September 2005, Honel underwent Tommy John surgery after doctors discovered a partial tear. With surgery and recovery, it cost him the entire 2006 season.
But none of that mattered on a glorious Sunday afternoon south of the border in Tijuana. One after another, the Cimaronnes batters came up to the plate and then trudged back to the dugout, with no chance to catch up to Honel's fastball and then having to face his nasty knuckle-curve ball.
Honel's no-no is the second in Golden Baseball League history. The other was also thrown by an Outlaw. Seth Johnson threw a no-hitter against the Samarai Bears, a traveling team from Japan, on June 19th, 2005 at Nettleton Stadium in a game the Outlaws won 5-0 in the second game of a double-header.
Maybe the real irony of the day was the fact Honel threw a no-hitter on the same day that former major league and GBL pitcher Jose Lima passed away from an apparent heart attack in Los Angeles. Honel was traded by the Edmonton Capitals last year for Lima, who was with the Long Beach Armada at the time of the trade. The intersection comes even further into focus because Lima learned he had been traded to Edmonton right before a game against Chico at Nettleton Stadium. Honel is now an Outlaw.
The win put Chico at 2-0 to start the season and dropped Tijuana to 0-2.
GAME TWO
Chico swept the Cimarrones with an 8-4 win in game two of the doubleheader in Tijuana.
Former big leaguer Wayne Franklin got the start for the Outlaws, going five innings, surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits, four walks. Franklin added six strikeouts. David Dinelli came out of the bullpen and pitched the sixth inning, striking out two in his only frame. Matt Perisho pitched the seventh, not allowing a hit and striking out one to close out the game.
Offensively, Blake Gailen had another big game as he went 2-3, 4 RBIs including a third inning homerun and a triple in the fourth inning. Catcher Mike Rose added a two-run homerun in the seventh inning. The Outlaws scored one run in the third inning, four runs in the fourth and three runs in the seventh inning.
With the win, the Outlaws are now 3-0 on the year, while the Cimarrones fall to 0-3, still looking for their first win in franchise history. Game four of the five game series is set for Monday night at 7:00 pm in Tijuana. Right hander Garret Holleran is scheduled to make his first start for the Outlaws in the game.
The series concludes on Tuesday night in Tijuana at 6:00 pm.
About The Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League, Presented by Safeway Inc./VONS, is a professional baseball league operating in the western United States and Canada. Golden Baseball League teams include the Calgary Vipers in Calgary, Alberta Canada; the Chico Outlaws in Chico, CA; the Edmonton Capitals in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, the Orange County Flyers in Fullerton; CA, the Na Koa Ikaika in Maui, HI; the St. George Roadrunners in St. George, Utah; the Yuma Scorpions in Yuma; AZ; the Victoria Seals in Victoria, British Columbia Canada; the Tijuana Cimmarrones in Tijuana, Mexico and the Tucson Toros in Tucson, AZ. Over 100 GBL players have been acquired by major league baseball or professional international baseball organizations during the last four years and over 70 former major leaguers have played in the GBL including MLB All-Stars Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, Jose Lima, Robert Fick, Junior Spivey, Scott Spiezio and Felix Jose. For general information, please visit our League web site at www.goldenbaseball.com.
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- Capitals Suffer Loss In Yuma Series Opener - Edmonton Capitals
- Chicago Outlaws Sweep Doubleheader - Chico Outlaws
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