Hot Rods Game Notes
September 17, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Yesterday... Brett Wisely led the offense with three hits and three RBIs in a 10-2 Hot Rods win over the Blue Rocks on Thursday. Bowling Green jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the third inning. They kept the pressure on, scoring eight runs between the fourth and the eighth innings, including a 462-foot homer from Jordan Qsar. Carlos Garcia hurled five innings of one-run baseball, securing his fifth win of the season and the 80th this year for Bowling Green.
The Series is Set... The Greensboro Grasshoppers secured their spot as Bowling Green's opponent in the High-A East Championship Series with a 5-2 win Thursday night. Greensboro has hit 178 homers, maintained a .257 team batting average, and posted a 4.71 team ERA. Matt Frazier, Jared Triolo, and Nick Gonzalez occupy three of the top four spots in batting average in the High-A East. The Hot Rods had a .260 with a 4.00 team ERA, all while blasting a franchise-record 194 homers. Evan Edwards, Jordan Qsar, and Grant Witherspoon are all tied for third place in the High-A East with 22 homers. The series starts in Greensboro on September 21 with a 5:30 PM CT first pitch.
80 Wins... For the sixth time in franchise history, the Hot Rods have won 80 games in a season. Bowling Green racked up 80 wins during the 2019, 2018, 2016, 2013, and 2012 seasons, along with 2021.
All Tied Up... Jordan Qsar's monster 462-foot homer on Thursday was his 22nd of the season. It ties Grant Witherspoon and Evan Edwards for the team lead at 22. Now all three are tied for the single-season franchise record, sharing a spot with Derek Dietrich who hit 22 back in 2011.
#120 Drowned Out... Wednesday's day game resulted in a cancelation, which won't be made up. That's the first time this season a Hot Rods rainout hasn't been played on a different date. That takes the total games the Hot Rods will play this season to 119, still the shortest season in team history.
Yesterday's Notes... The Greensboro Grasshoppers will officially be the Hot Rods opponents in the High-A East Championship series next week... The series begins on Tuesday and Wednesday with two games in Greensboro, NC before returning on Friday and potentially Saturday and Sunday for three games in Bowling Green... Qsar tied Derek Dietrich (2011), Evan Edwards (2021), and Grant Witherspoon (2021) for the most homers in a single Hot Rods season with 22... They're all tied for the third-most in the league with Greensboro's Aaron Shackelford... Garcia is tied for the second-most wins in the High-A East... He passes Jayden Murray for the team-lead, who had seven... BG finishes Bootlegger Thursdays 8-2 when wearing the Bootleggers jerseys... The Hot Rods are 29-17 when their opponents score first... They're 11-3 in September... The Hot Rods finish their 2021 regular-season Thursday schedule 17-7...
Now Pitching: Taj Bradley... Taj Bradley has dominated left-handed-hitting this season. Against lefties, he has held his ERA to just a 1.62 while only allowing a .214 average on balls put in play. He has struck out lefties with an 8.6 K/9 and has limited them to 0.5 homers per nine innings. Righties have had more success, putting up a .355 BABIP. They have struck out more against Bradley, who has whiffed 13.5 right-handed hitters per nine innings. They have also worked over double the walks that lefties have while also hitting homers at a clip of 3.4 per nine innings.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 17, 2021
- Renegades Beat Hoppers 3-2 to Even Series - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Crawdads Pinch Braves in Final Friday Game - Rome Emperors
- Chacin's Solid Start Allows Cyclones to Leaver Jersey Shore Behind - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Dash Fall 14-4 to Tourists in Game Four - Winston-Salem Dash
- Claws Fall 7-4 Friday in Brooklyn - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive Lose, 1-0 - Greenville Drive
- Maimonides Park to Host Pete Alonso Homers for Heroes Charity Event September 27 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Wilmington Blue Rocks Annual Judy Johnson Night Helps Keep His and Negro League Baseball's Legacy Alive - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (September 17) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Light up the Shore Laser Light Shows: October 8th & 9th - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Hoppers Clinch Spot in High-A East Championship Series - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Hoppers Punch Playoff Ticket - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Cyclones Lose a Wild One, 8-6 on Thursday Night - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Bootleggers Find Barrels in 10-2 Win on Thursday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
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