PCL1 Las Vegas Aviators

51s Open 8-Game Home Stand On Tuesday

May 7, 2007 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Las Vegas Aviators News Release


LAS VEGAS: The Las Vegas 51s professional baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will return to Cashman Field to open an eight-game home stand on Tuesday, May 8, against the Oklahoma RedHawks, Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, at 7:11 p.m. The 51s third home stand of the '07 season will run through Tuesday, May 15.

The 51s, under first-year manager Lorenzo Bundy, are concluding a four-game road trip this afternoon at Fresno, Calif., against the Grizzlies, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Las Vegas has a record of 13-16 in the Pacific Southern Division and trail first-place Sacramento by 5 ½ games.

All four games of the series against the RedHawks (Tuesday-Friday) will begin at 7:11 p.m. Game two of the series on Wednesday, May 9 will feature Dollar Hot Dog Night; Game three of the series on Thursday, May 10 will feature Budweiser Dollar Beer Night. Every Thursday home game throughout the season will feature Dollar Beer Night. A spectacular post-game fireworks show, presented by Best Mattress, will be featured in the series finale on Friday.

The RedHawks possess two of the Top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America, in the Rangers' minor league system. Outfielder Jason Botts is rated as the No. 9 prospect and right-handed pitcher Josh Rupe (No. 10).

Las Vegas then will open a four-game series against the New Orleans Zephyrs from Saturday-Tuesday, May 12-15. The Zephyrs are in their first season as the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

The Las Vegas franchise, celebrating its 25th PCL Season, will welcome back one of its all-time greatest players in history in catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr. He is a member of the Zephyrs and has appeared in 11 games this season and is batting .235 (8-for-34), with one home run and 6 RBI.

Alomar is the only Las Vegas player in the 25-year history of the franchise to win back-to-back PCL MVP honors as a catcher in 1988 and 1989 for the Stars. He also was named the 1988 & 1989 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. He has played 19 Major League seasons: San Diego (1988-89), Cleveland (1990-2000), Chicago White Sox (2001-02, 2003-04, '06), Colorado (2002), Texas (2005) and Dodgers (2006). He is a six-time all-Star and was MVP of the 1997 All-Star Game at Cleveland's Jacobs Field. He appeared in two World Series with the Indians in 1995 and 1997.

The series opener on Saturday, May 12 at 7:11 p.m. will feature a Kids Carnival from 5 - 7 p.m. Fans can attend the carnival with a purchase of a game ticket for that evening. Fans will also receive 25th Anniversary Calendars, sponsored by Camden Apartment Homes.

Game two of the series on Sunday, May 13 (Mother's Day) will feature a matinee contest at 12:05 p.m.; Game three will be a 7:11 p.m. start on Monday, May 14.

The finale of the home stand on Tuesday, May 15 will feature the Fourth Annual Cox Communications School Day with a special start time of 10:30 a.m. The day will feature a field trip available to 5th grade students in the Clark County School District. Over the past three seasons, a total of 19,008 fans have attended the special morning games. Last season, a crowd of 7,933 attended the game on April 25 against Sacramento and the 51s.

The Zephyrs have two players on their roster that are ranked in Baseball America's Top-10 prospect list for the Mets system: outfielder Carlos Gomez (rated as the third-best prospect) and right-handed pitcher Philip Humber (No. 4).

Tickets for all 51s home games can be purchased at the Cashman Field box office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from Noon to 4:30 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased through TicketMaster (474-4000, www.ticketmaster.com). TicketMaster outlets are located at selected Smith's Food & Drug, Ritmo Latino and Macy's, located at The Fashion Show & The Galleria Mall.

The individual game tickets for the 72-game home season are priced at $8.00 (general admission), $9.00 (reserved), $11.00 (plaza) and $13 (field). The traditional $2.00 discount for Military personnel is offered on plaza, reserved and G.A. seats throughout the season except for the holiday fireworks shows on June 30 & July 3.

Season tickets are available by calling the 51s office at (702) 798-7825.

For official licensed 51s team merchandise, log on to www.LV51.com.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 7, 2007


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