Hot Rods Game Notes
June 22, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Bowling Green clinched a playoff spot with last night's win and can become the third team in franchise history with 40 wins in the first half of a season.
Shutout Clincher... 12 strikeouts from Mason Montgomery, tying a Hot Rods record, and a three-run eighth inning helped the Hot Rods clinch the South Division's first half title in a 4-0 win over the Drive. The staff combined to allow two hits and strikeout a season-best 17 hitters in their sixth shutout win of the season. Dru Baker drove in two runs in the eighth with a go-ahead double to secure his second-straight multi-RBI game.
Yesterday's Notes... BG has finished the first half leading their division three times.. The other two were in 2018 and 2011... There were no halves in 2021... Montgomery tied a franchise record with 12 strikeouts... Joe Ryan (2019), Jamie Schultz and Ryne Stanek (2014), Braulio Lara (2011), and Matt Moore (2009) are the only other pitchers in team history to strike out 12 hitters in a game... His 12th K of the night was also his 100th of the season... The dozen punchouts also set a new career-high for Montgomery... Baker had his third multi-RBI game of the year...
Driving it against the Drive... The Greenville Drive welcome the Hot Rods to Fluor Field at the West End for the first time in 2022. The two teams opened 2021 at the same location. The Hot Rods hit 11 homers that series and scored 45 runs while Greenville scored 33 runs with 13 homers. BG pitching tossed two shutouts, too.
Walk it Out... Kyle Manzardo currently owns the best walk-per-strikeout rate on the Hot rods. at 0.65, Manzo is walking 11.6% of the time to a 17.8% strikeouts rate. Basabe has the lowed K% in BG, striking out 14.3% of the time in 2022, the third-best rate in the league. Tanner Murray, who owns a strikeout rate of 19.1%, has the second-lowest on the team and 20th-best in the SAL.
Been there, done that... BG will finish the first-half leading their division for the third time in club history, clinching a playoff spot with 2018's Midwest League Champions and again in 2011. (there were no halves in 2021). The 2011 team finished the first leg of the season with a 41-29 record while the 2018 Hot Rods set a franchise record with 47 wins in the first half and a record of 47-22. They're the only two teams in club history with 40 wins in the first leg of a season, dating back to the first year of existence in 2009. The 2022 club needs one win to become the third team to the 40-win mark.
Postseason Push... The 2022 Playoff structure looks a little different than last season's "High-A East" setup. The season is split into two halves, with the first-half ending after games on June 23. Each division's team with the best record will earn a berth, with the divisional first and second half champions facing one another in a three-game series in the postseason. The winners of those series will be crowned division champions, with the two remaining teams set to face one another in a three-game championship series. The Hot Rods finish the first half on the road in Greenville, South Carolina in the middle of a six-game series against the Greenville Drive.
Keeping it 100... With 12 strikeouts in the division-clinching shutout, Mason Montgomery game the first minor league starter to 100 strikeouts, and the fourth pitcher across the minor and major leagues to reach the mark. He reached the mark faster than both major league starters who have broken the 100-strikeout barrier and second-fastest overall. Montgomery has struck out 19 more batters than any other pitcher in the South Atlantic League and also leads the league in ERA with 1.75.
South Atlantic League Stories from June 22, 2022
- Justin Meis' Six Shutout Innings Spark Hoppers - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- BG Clubs Way to Fifth-Straight on Wednesday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- 'Hogs' Rally Falls Just Short - Winston-Salem Dash
- McGarry Puts the K in Brooklyn as Cyclones Fall 5-3 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Cuevas Dominates in Blue Rocks' Win - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- McGarry Sizzles; Fans Career-High 13 in BlueClaws' Thursday Win - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Renegades Earn 4-3 Win - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Drive Taken Down by Hot Rods - Greenville Drive
- Dodd Deals, Braves Fall to 'Dads - Rome Emperors
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Corona Belts First Home Run in Matinee Loss - Asheville Tourists
- HVR Game Notes - June 22, 2022 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Hoppers Singing the 'Extra-Inning Blues' - Greensboro Grasshoppers
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