Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: at ABQ (5:35 PT)
April 13, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release
Tacoma Rainiers (3-4) @ Albuquerque Isotopes (1-6)
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 5:35 p.m. PT | Isotopes Park: Albuquerque, NM
RHP Asher Wojciechowski (0-1, 4.50) vs. LHP Dillon Overton (0-1, 9.00)
DEFINITELY CALL IT A COMEBACK: The Rainiers' rally from seven runs down in game seven of the season on Tuesday at Albuquerque (trailed 8-1 after four innings) surpassed their largest comeback during all of last season. Tacoma erased a six-run deficit on June 15, 2021 at home against Sacramento; and like Tuesday, the final score of that game was also 10-9 in 10 innings.
GREEN'S DAY: 1B Zach Green doubled three times on Tuesday at Albuquerque (3-for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 6 TB), becoming the first Rainier to collect three hits in a game this season. SS Donnie Walton (2 H, 3 BB, 2 R, RBI) became the first Tacoma player to reach base five times in 2022, and drew the two-out bases loaded walk that tied the game 9-9 in the 9th, setting the table for Green's game-winning sac fly in the 10th.
TIM THE 'TOPE: Tacoma Rainiers first-year manager Tim Federowicz will skipper his first road series in the ballpark he appeared most in as a player. As a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, Federowicz played 239 games for Albuquerque between 2011 and 2014, while being summoned to the Majors in each of those four seasons, for a total of 89 games with L.A.
Federowicz played 116 career games in Albuquerque, batting .335 (142-for-424) with 22 home runs and 90 RBI. Overall as an Isotope, he hit .320 (279-for-873) with 39 HR and 166 RBI, appearing in more games for ABQ than any other franchise during his 13-season playing career. Federowicz played 26 games against Tacoma in his career with the Isotopes, El Paso, Iowa, Sacramento, Fresno and Nashville.
BACK TO SCHOOL: It's a homecoming of sorts for Rainiers infielder Sam Haggerty, an alum of the University of New Mexico baseball program. Tuesday was Haggerty's first pro game at Isotopes Park, which sits across the street from the UNM athletics complex and their baseball field; the Lobos did play some games at the Triple-A facility during his time there. In three seasons at UNM (2013-15) before being drafted in the 24th round by Cleveland in 2015, Haggerty batted .311 (179-for-575) in 146 games. He was selected a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and was Mountain West Conference Co-Freshman of the Year in 2013. Haggerty was also named First Team All-MWC in 2014. He's played in 59 MLB games with the Mariners and Mets since his debut in 2019 and last season.
UNDER IT: Thursday's 14-1 loss to Salt Lake dropped the Rainiers under .500 for the first time since they were 7-8 on May 22 of last season following a 9-5 win over Round Rock at Cheney Stadium. Tacoma would even their record the following day with a 7-6 win over Round Rock, and would not fall below .500 again en route to the 2021 Triple-A West Championship.
THE WHAT?: A new-for-2022 rule in Major League Baseball allows a pitcher to start a game on the mound and finish it as the designated hitter, colloquially dubbed "The Ohtani Rule." In Thursday's 14-1 home loss to Salt Lake, Tacoma's Mike Ford did a "Reverse Ohtani," by DHing (RBI single) and then finishing the lopsided affair by pitching the ninth (1 ER).
"Reverse Ohtani" has been unofficially coined by Tacoma broadcaster Mike Curto on Twitter. For Ford, it was his second appearance on a mound as a professional but his first in the minor leagues; he logged 2.0 IP for the New York Yankees in 2019. However, Ford was a two-way player and a reliever in college at Princeton University from 2011-2013.
LET MATT COOK: In his Rainiers debut on opening day, April 5 vs. Salt Lake, RHP Matt Koch (pronounced "cook") struck out the side in the 7th inning on nine pitches. It was the second "immaculate inning" for Tacoma in as many seasons. Last year on August 31, also at Cheney Stadium vs. Salt Lake, Penn Murfee accomplished the feat in the 10th, stranding the automatic tie-breaker runner at second base.
SOUZBOT: A local of sorts, with 499 games of MLB experience, has been added to Tacoma's roster by the Mariners. Outfielder Steven Souza, Jr., an Everett native and graduate of Cascade High School, was a non-roster invitee to Major League camp in Peoria. Drafted 100th overall by Washington in 2007, he's logged big league time with the Nationals, Rays, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Dodgers since his MLB debut in 2014.
Souza (72 MLB HR) was the second-highest draft pick in Cascade HS history and second to reach the Majors; outfielder Grady Sizemore (75th overall in 2000, Montreal Expos), is first in each category (MLB from 2004-2015). After spending the duration of spring training in big league camp, Souza made his regular season Mariners organization debut on 4/7 at Cheney Stadium vs. Salt Lake, and drew four walks.
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