SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

April 9, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Opening Day Victory... The Hot Rods put up nine runs on Asheville in a 9-2 win on opening day on Friday. Zack Trageton got his 2022 off to a hot start by tossing 4.0 no-hit, shutout innings with seven strikeouts. Matthew Dyer led the way on offense with a 3-for-5 day, driving in three runs while clubbing the Hot Rods first triple of the season. Heriberto Hernandez also added three RBIs of his own in the win, while Addison Moss earned his first victory of the season with 2.0 perfect innings in relief.

Yesterday's notes... Friday's game was the coldest season-opener in team history with a game-time temperature of 39-degrees... The previous high, per BG Daily News beat writer Micheal Compton, was 56-degrees... Bowling Green's pitching staff accumulated 13 strikeouts... The staff had a no-hit bid into the seventh inning until Will Wagner singled with one out for the Tourists... Dyer led the team with three hits... Dyer and Hernandez each had three RBIs... Manzardo was the only Hot Rods hitter to finish the game without a strikeout... Trageton's seven strikeouts are two-short of his career-high...

Prospect Heavy... The Hot Rods feature a total of eight players that made prospect lists between MLB.com and Baseball America for the Tampa Bay Rays. Starter Seth Johnson is the highest-ranked player on both lists that joins the team and is ranked eighth on MLB.com and 12th on BA. John Doxakis appears on MLB.com's rankings (29) but not on BA, while Alika Williams (29), Matthew Dyer (31), and Mason Montgomery (33) are all ranked on BA's list but not on MLB.com. It's important to note that Baseball America has switched to a top-40 list, while MLB.com is still operating with a top-30 format.

Smitty... After leading the team to an 82-win season in 2021 and a High-A East (now South Atlantic League) championship, Hot Rods skipper returns to Bowling Green for his second season. He's joined by Bench Coach Skeeter Barnes (second season) and newcomers Alberto Bastardo (Pitching Coach) and Paul Rozzelle (Hitting Coach). Strength and Conditioning Coach Jordan Brown returns for his second full season and third year while Tsutmu Kamiya is in his first year as the Athletic Trainer.

The SAL... After 2021 saw the Hot Rods move to the High-A East, MLB has re-installed the historic names MiLB fans have grown to know for decades. No further re-alignment took place this offseason, but the South Atlantic League now stretches from upstate New York down through the Carolinas and over into Kentucky. The Hot Rods first season in 2009 was as a member of the old South Atlantic League, which did not include the likes of the Brooklyn Cyclones, Hudson Valley Renegades, Wilmington Blue Rocks, Aberdeen Ironbirds, or Winston-Salem Dash. It's truly a new-look Sally League.

Big changes at the ballpark... The Hot Rods have made many upgrades to Bowling Green Ballpark with the help of the city of Bowling Green and the Tampa Bay Rays. Additional room in the home and visiting clubhouses have been made with upgrades to spaces like the kitchen areas and more meeting space for staff. A women's locker room has been created and what was once a hitting tunnel has been expanded to a training facility. A new grounds shop was erected while fans will notice a brighter playing surface thanks to new LED lights that are digitally controlled. The Happy Hiller Corner in left field also got a facelift, with new bar tops added for a unique experience a the ballpark.

Check out the Bowling Green Hot Rods Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from April 9, 2022


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