IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes: Opening Day

Published on April 4, 2019 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


BUFFALO BISONS (0-0) VS. SWB RAILRIDERS (0-0)

RHP Jacob Waguespack (No Record) vs. LHP Gio Gonzalez (No Record)

Game No. 1 | Sahlen Field | Buffalo, NY | April 4, 2019 | First Pitch 2:05 p.m. |

GETTING IT STARTED: The RailRiders are 11-19 in Season Openers since the franchise began in 1989. Only once have they opened on the road in Buffalo, two seasons ago, when they lost 4-2. That game was played two days later than expected after the first two games of the year were postponed due to snow. The lineup that day featured C Kyle Higashioka (0-4, RBI) as the cleanup hitter, and had INF Rowdy Tellez belt a pair of homers for the Bison. Last season's opener was arguably the most thrilling win of the regular season for SWB, in which they trailed 5-1 entering the 9th inning and walked off with a 6-5 win when INF Abiatal Avelino cracked a walk-off three-run homer off former RailRider RHP Christopher Smith.

FOR WHOM IT TOLLS: It was announced January 24, 2019 that Jay Bell had replaced Bobby Mitchell as Manager for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders for the 2019 season. He played over 2,000 games during an 18-year Major League career and has spent the last two years managing in the Yankees organization with Double-A Trenton and High-A Tampa. Bell is joined on staff by Pitching Coach Tommy Phelps, Hitting Coach Phil Plantier and Bullpen Coach Doug Davis, all of whom are returning to the RailRiders dugout. Julio Borbón joined the Yankees organization in March and will serve as the Defensive Coach for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

THEY'VE DUG UP A GEM IN GIO: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Opening Day starting pitcher is LHP Gio Gonzalez, who has pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons among three different organizations (Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers). He ranks 118th on the all-time MLB career strikeout list, with only six players ahead of him who have ever worn a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Jersey:

No. 3 Roger Clemens 4,672 K 2007 Rehab

No. 15 Curt Schilling 3,116 K 1996 Rehab & 2000 Rehab

No. 42 Andy Pettitte 2,448 K 2012 Rehab

No. 45 Cole Hamels 2,419 K

No. 72 Kevin Millwood 2,083 K

No. 111 Randy Wolf 1,814 K 2001 Rehab

No. 118 Gio Gonzalez 1,748 K

PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE...: When the initial player list was announced by the Yankees at the tail end of last week, it included 17 players who played for the RailRiders 2018 playoff-bound team, 13 players with Major League service time and two top-30 prospects. In the time since, SWB has lost INF/OF Tyler Wade and OF Clint Frazier to the big leagues, with the injuries to OF Giancarlo Stanton and INF Miguel Andujar up in New York.

FINALS DESTINATION: For the ninth time in 12 years as an affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reached the postseason in 2018. Since 2007, the RailRiders have won two league titles and have reached the championship round four times, including their five-game nailbiter against the Durham Bulls a season ago in which the Bulls won their second straight Governor's Cup.

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