Sports stats



PCL Tacoma Rainiers

Tacoma Rainiers Game Notes: vs. Salt Lake (7:05 p.m.)

April 7, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Tacoma Rainiers News Release


Tacoma Rainiers (1-1) vs. Salt Lake Bees (1-1)

Thursday, April 7, 2022, 7:05 p.m. PT | Cheney Stadium: Tacoma, WA

RHP Asher Wojciechowski vs. LHP Jhonathan Diaz

149-1?: Taylor Trammell blasted his first home run of the season in the first inning, a two-run pull shot to left field, but the Salt Lake Bees outlasted the Rainiers by a 9-5 final on Wednesday night at Cheney Stadium, Tacoma's first loss of 2022. Trammell's night ended with 3 RBI, adding a run-scoring fielder's choice. Donnie Walton and Marcus Wilson each had multiple hits for the Rs.

Monte Harrison (2-run) homered for Salt Lake. A bright spot for the Rainiers was the Triple-A debuts of a pair of young relievers on loan from High-A Everett (Northwest League), as right-handers Jarod Bayless (1.2 IP) and Kyle Hill (1.0 IP) each logged scoreless outings, facing only four batters apiece.

A WINNING BUZZ: Salt Lake is one of three current PCL member cities that the Tacoma franchise (est. 1960) has an all-time winning record against (364-350-1, since 1960); the others are Las Vegas (284-275, since 1983) and Round Rock (44-26, since 2005).

The Rainiers have won 12 of their last 15 against the Bees dating to last season.

SOUZBOT: A local of sorts, with 499 games of MLB experience, has been added to Tacoma's roster by the Mariners. 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 between his MLB debut in 2014 and last season in L.A. (72 career MLB HR).

Souza 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).

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, all the more impressive considering the automatic runner began the frame at second base via the international tie-breaker rule.

EAST MEETS WEST: The two anchors of the Rainiers' 2021 championship lineup have each moved on to lucrative roster spots in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese Major Leagues. 2021 Triple-A West MVP 1B/OF Jose Marmolejos is with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. 2021 Rainiers Team MVP 3B Jantzen Witte joined the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Marmolejos also won the Triple-A West batting title last season (.338), Tacoma's first batting champion since Troy Neel of the 1992 Tacoma Tigers (PCL, Oakland A's).

TIMMY!: For a consecutive season, the Rainiers are led by a manager in his first year at the position. (2021 manager Kristopher Negron is now Seattle Mariners 1B coach.) Tim Federowicz (catcher) is a veteran of over 1,000 professional games (7th round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2007), including 163 in Majors with the Dodgers, Cubs, Giants, Astros, Reds and Rangers from 2011-19. Like Negron, Federowicz has transitioned into coaching direct from the playing field, splitting last season between the Triple-A OKC Dodgers and the United States Olympic Team, where he picked up a silver medal at the Tokyo games alongside 2021 Rainiers outfielder Eric Filia.

As a collegian at the University of North Carolina, Federowicz helped guide the Tar Heels to the College World Series in each of the three years he played (2006-08). At UNC, he was teammates with future Mariners Kyle Seager and Dustin Ackley. He also played against the Rainiers (26 games) with Albuquerque, El Paso, Iowa, Sacramento, Fresno and Nashville.

MISTERS WORLDWIDE: The 2022 Rainiers coaching staff features two members born outside of the United States, each with extensive experience on their native country's national team. Pitching coach Alon Leichman has been both a player and coach for Team Israel in the Olympics, World Baseball Classic, and numerous other European tournaments, a native of Kibbutz Gezer, Israel.

Hitting coach Brad Marcelino was born in Great Britain (Essex, England), lived in the UK until he was 11 years old, and first played in international competition for the British National Team when he was 17 in 1999. As of 2022, he is the all-time leader in games played for the British National Team.

Check out the Tacoma Rainiers Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from April 7, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central