BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Saturday night’s game between the Rochester Red Wings and the Syracuse Mets was much like any such matchup in the last few decades. There were giveaways (a Dylan Crews jersey), pre-game entertainment (a Bollywood dance number and cricket demonstration for Indian Night), and other fun quirks that make Minor League Baseball so unique (Bruce the Bat Dog). And, like so many games, the man helping run it all behind the scenes was Dan Mason, longtime Rochester Red Wings general manager.
But Saturday was different for the Red Wings and Mason- because on Saturday, the man who’d worked his way up from unpaid intern to the longest-tenured GM in the team’s history was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in a ceremony before the Wings’ 5-0 defeat. Well known for his wacky promotions, outgoing attitude, humorous social media videos, and endless enthusiasm for baseball in Rochester, Mason was the second of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, after outfielder Jason Kubel, who celebrated induction on Friday.
Dignitaries from the city, county, the pre-MLB International League, and all three affiliation eras of Red Wings baseball that Mason has overseen were in attendance, including former Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith, legendary 1997 Governor’s Cup champion manager Marv Foley, fan favorite infielder Jeff Manto, and current Washington Nationals farm director Eddie Longosz.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
So large was the outpouring for Mason, the GM since 1995, that he felt the need to assuage any fears anyone might have about his future.
“I want to point out, I’m not retiring… thanks to my kids, I have a lot of college loans to pay off still,” he said during his induction speech, which ran about 16 minutes and included tributes both heartfelt and humorous to his family, the Silver family, mentors, and all the executives, employees, players, coaches, and fans who helped him along the way.
“When you begin a new chapter in your life, you’re never sure how long that chapter will last,” Mason spoke of his early days with the franchise. “I had no idea that that chapter would evolve into a novel with an incredible cast of characters. But it was not written by just one guy, but an amazing group of contributing writers.”
Mason especially spent time paying tribute to his “four mentors”- former team president Elliot Kerwin, team chairman Gary Larder, current President and CEO Naomi Silver, and perhaps most of all Rochester’s “Mr. Baseball”, Joe Altobelli. Donning a No. 26 hat and becoming emotional, he spoke of how important the late manager, general manager, and broadcaster was to his life.
“Alto was like a second father to me,” he said. “I have no idea why he took a shine to me, I was just a 24-year-old clueless kid that had no idea what I was doing… and he molded me into the professional I am today.”
As his speech neared its end, he concluded by thanking everyone:
“This is way more than a job to me,” he said. “This is my calling, this is what I was made to do, and thankfully Naomi gave me a chance to do it. I love this team, I love this town. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me be a part of your lives.”
After ending his speech with his traditional cry of “Let’s have some fun!”, it was time for the game. It wasn’t fun for the hitters of either team, as two AAA newcomers baffled hitters for six innings. Kyle Luckham, making his fifth-ever AAA start, was on the mound for the Red Wings (46-70, 19-25 in the second half). On the other side was Jonah Tong, the No. 5 prospect in the New York Mets’ system according to MLB.com Pipeline and the minor league leader in strikeouts, making his AAA debut.
Luckham was excellent through a six-inning outing, striking out four while spreading out four hits and an earned run while walking one. The defense behind him, however, proved a double-edged sword. On a few early occasions, the Mets (62-57, 31-13 in the second half) threatened only to be thwarted by the Wings defense, including a fantastic home run robbery by right fielder Nick Schnell in the top of the second, where the Indianan climbed the fence, reached over it, and snagged a Luke Ritter ball that seemed destined for a three-run home run. So unexpected was the catch that the in-stadium video feed didn’t even fully capture the play, only focusing on Schnell as he descended from the grab. A diving catch by center fielder Andrew Pinckney in the third and a key double play in the fourth also aided the former Arizona State pitcher in keeping Syracuse off the board.
“He pitched extremely well,” said Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy post-game. “I’m really proud of him, and against a tough team to face.”
“He gave us a shot, he did a really awesome effort. He went toe-to-toe with their prospect, that’s all we can ask.”
But a freak defensive mistake in the sixth allowed Syracuse to get on the board, as center fielder and Mets No. 2 prospect Jett Williams hit what at first seemed to be a fairly routine fly ball to right. Schnell, however, lost it in the twilight and badly misplayed it, allowing it to fall in safely and roll as Williams sped around the bases for a leadoff triple. He’d later score on a one-out single from Ryan Clifford that just got past a diving Darren Baker to make it 1-0.
Meanwhile, the Red Wings struggled against Tong, a 22-year-old Canadian who struck out nine over 5.2 innings while spreading out three hits and two walks in a dominant AAA debut that saw him reach 98 MPH on the gun. Although the Red Wings got Trey Lipscomb to third after a ground-rule double and a fly-out in the fifth, he couldn’t be brought home. When the Wings got two men on in the bottom of the sixth, Tong was replaced by Kevin Herget, who struck out Yohandy Morales to end the inning. Rochester ultimately ended the night with four hits.
The Mets later got to the Red Wings bullpen, putting up two runs each on Garrett Davila and Eduardo Salazar in the eighth to extend their lead to 5-0, which held until the end.
The Red Wings conclude their series with Syracuse on Sunday at 1:05 p.m., with righty Adrian Sampson (2-3, 5.07) set to take the mound against a Syracuse pitcher to be announced. They’ll then continue the homestand with a game against Toledo on Tuesday.
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