By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
As baseball games go, Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Bisons was pretty ugly for the Rochester Red Wings.
Starting pitcher Tyler Eppler, the reigning Triple-A East Pitcher of the Week, failed to reach the third inning. He departed after allowing six hits and five runs.
The Wings offense, meanwhile, collected just six hits and went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, all of which led to a fourth consecutive loss and a 1-5 week against Buffalo.
But even another loss couldn’t put a damper the day for Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy. Oh, he obviously wasn’t pleased with the results on the diamond as his club slipped to 15-27.
That’s because the Father’s Day gift from afar from his wife, Holly, and their five children more than offset the workday doldrums.
“My wife sent me a video last night and then my kids sent me a neat video this morning which kind of gets you a little emotional not being there,” LeCroy said. “They all said a little something special.”
In what is now Baseball Season II of COVID-19 protocols and/or shutdowns, LeCroy is in Rochester by himself. The family remained in Belton, S.C., which, according to LeCroy, “is a huge town…about 4,000 people.”
It didn’t make sense to uproot, especially with so many uncertainties heading into the season, and with the older three children active in sports of their own.
“This a big part of conditioning and training that they didn’t get to do last year,” he said. “That’s the tough part; you miss your family. My off-seasons are really good because I get to spend every day with them.
He knows they’re in good hands, though. Along with Holly overseeing the household, LeCroy’s father, Jody, is the doting grandfather. So the Wings manager is the grateful father and grateful son.
“This is a special day for me,” he said. “My father played a big impact in my life, not only as a person but as an athlete, as a baseball player.
“He coaches my kids now, which I think is pretty neat. He’s 78 years old and he’s able to still hit ground balls and throw batting practice and do things for them that he did for us. You just hate not being around them.”
The kids let him know in their Father’s Day video how much they miss him, too. And why.
“The one thing I know that I must do really well: They like going out to eat with Daddy,” he said with laugh.
LeCroy did get to see his family last Monday, the Wings off day. He drove from Allentown following the series finale against Lehigh Valley to North Carolina to watch Noah play with his travel team.
“My wife brought my kids there,” he said, “so it was sort of like a Father’s Day gift.”
Tough day on the mound: Eppler allowed two runs in the first, and that was a bit of a Houdini act, considering the Bisons (22-18) had one run in and the bases loaded before there was even an out. George Springer hit his first pitch for a single to start the uprising.
Eppler’s luck ran out in the second when Buffalo scored three runs with two out, including a no-doubt two-run home run by Kevin Smith.
Palka swings the hot bat: Daniel Palka collected three singles, including two by going the opposite way. He also stole a base. The 3-for-4 day pushed his average to .305.
No fans of Springer: Plate umpire Cody Oakes requested stadium security eject two fans in the top of the eighth, apparently for their verbal abuse of Springer.
Springer was a member of the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros, a team whose reputation was forever tarnished by a sign-stealing scandal. The fans apparently was to be sure Springer knew what they thought of it.
Springer is on a rehab assignment from the Toronto Blue Jays, working his way back from a strained right quad. He went 1-for-3 on Sunday and also reached base on a hit by pitch. He scored two runs. For the week, he went 3-17 with three strikeouts.
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