By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Rochester Red Wings Bat Boy has long been one of the most exclusive summer jobs in Rochester. If you’d like to wear a Red Wings uniform, watch games from the dugout and fetch future major leaguers’ lumber, you need formidable connections or paws like Milo the Bat Dog.
Mike McDougal had a solid “in” on June 14, 2000; he was a Red Wings pitcher sidelined with a sore shoulder. With the regular bat boys at home studying for exams, the 6-foot-4 right-hander traded his regular uniform in for a “BB” jersey.
The Red Wings must have taken some levity in seeing their 25-year-old teammate in his temporary new role, because they blasted the Ottawa Lynx 13-5 at Frontier Field. Eight of the nine batters drove in at least a run, the lineup’s top four each scored at least two runs and Ottawa relief pitchers were tagged for eight runs on six hits in the rout.
Karim Garcia, who played 76 games in Rochester, hit the game’s lone home run in the fifth inning. It was the thunderous blow in a five-run fifth, preceded by Wayne Kirby’s bases-clearing single.
Rochester followed its big fifth with a crooked sixth, pouring it on by scoring eight runs while sending 12 batters to the plate. Howie Clark highlighted those proceedings with a two-run single.
Just three of the Wings’ 11 hits went for extra bases. They consistently feasted on porous Lynx pitching; starter Jeremy Powell lost his seventh game in eight decisions.
Backed by an excess amount of run support, Rick Krivda cruised through six innings, allowing just seven hits and one earned run. Hector Ramirez struggled in relief, allowing three runs in less than an inning, but Rochester was not in serious danger during its third consecutive win.
As for the evening’s bat boy, he appeared in 14 games in Rochester, striking out 25 batters in 30 innings.
Ottawa batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Milton Bradley | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kary Bridges | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Andy Tracy | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Pat Lennon | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Fernando Seguignol | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Post | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Staton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Ward | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chris Snusz | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Yohanny Valera | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Rochester batting
| Batter | ab | r | h | rbi |
| Jose Herrera | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Tommy Davis | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Wayne Kirby | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Karim Garcia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Ryan Minor | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Howie Clark | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Francisco Matos | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Willie Morales | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wady Almonte | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Ottawa 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0- 5
Rochester 0 0 0 0 5 8 0 0 X- 13
E- Bradley, F. Matos, Krvida LOB- Ottawa 9, Rochester 5 2B- Bridges, Seguignol, Almonte 2 HR- Garcia (17) SB- Bradley
Ottawa pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Powell (L, 1-7) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Marquez | 0.1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Gonzalez | 1.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Flury | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Rochester pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Rick Krvida (W, 7-4) | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Hector Ramirez | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| B.J. Ryan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ryan Kohlmeier | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Time- 3:17 Attendance- 5,403
Also on this day: The Red Wings combined for a 15-1 doubleheader sweep of the Columbus Jets, extending their winning streak to eight games in 1967… Sam Parilla hit a two-run triple and reliever Mickey Scott recorded a strikeout to end the game with the bases loaded as Rochester defeated Richmond 5-3 in 1971… Joel Bennett struck out 13 Richmond Braves, becoming the only 8-0 pitcher in the International League as the Red Wings won 3-1 at Frontier Field in 1998.
Leave a Reply