First Round of Play-Offs Has Victory and Heartbreak for AZL Indians

For the first time ever, the Indians had two teams in the Arizona Rookie League. For the first time since 2016 the AZL Indians made it to the play-offs and incredibly, both teams made it in. Both teams played on day one and had dramatically different results. Let’s start with the game I attended, the Indians 1 against the AZL Rangers at Goodyear Ballpark.

Overall, this was one of the best played games I’ve seen all season in the AZL. Defensively, the only error made by either team in 11 innings of play was on a ground ball up the middle that the Rangers short stop never touched. Yes, he should have made the play, but it was not an easy one and he didn’t make an obvious fumble. On the other side of the defensive coin, Johnathan Rodriguez made two great plays in right field and Marcos Gonzalez made an impressive diving catch and throw on a ground ball in the 11th. This play was a potential game saver until Beder Gutierrez hit it nearly out of the stadium on the next play, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Both starting pitchers had everything working tonight as Raymond Burgos (pictured at top) used a hard fast ball to off-set his slider for 5.2 innings of two hit baseball and Chi-Chi Gonzalez allowed just one hit over four. Burgos struck out 10, but allowed a second inning home run to Stanly Martinez to give Texas the early lead. Gonzalez would strike out just one and was hurt when his only hit allowed coincided with his only hit batter (Miguel Jerez in the head) and the only error of the game to allow the Indians to score in the bottom half of the second. The game remained tied at one for the duration of regulation.

Incredibly, both teams used just two pitchers to get through the first nine innings. Gonzalez was on a rehab assignment for the Rangers and was pulled due to pitch count after the fourth inning. His replacement, Jesus Linarez, then threw the next six innings, striking out seven and allowing just three hits. Linarez came at the Indians with a curveball first approach that stymied the less advanced hitters who had probably never seen such a thing.

The Indians top hitter, Miguel Jerez, was finally able to figure out the equation in the 10th inning when he lined a curve ball into left field, scoring Rodriguez who had started at second base (because they do that in the minors in extra innings). Pinto also allowed his only run in the 10th inning, although both runs were unearned since the runner started the inning on base.

With Martinez starting on second, Pinto allowed a ground ball up the middle that just got by Wilbis Santiago at second. After one out, Jake Miednik came into the game in relief and allowed a single to left that scored the go ahead run. The next play would be corralled by Santiago, however, for a double play and the Indians would tie it up in the bottom half, as already stated.

Miednik and Dylan Bice would pitch well in the 11th, but in the 12th, things got messy. Miednik allowed a single to left to immediately score a run, then another hit on an attempted sacrifice bunt to first. The Rangers followed with a sacrifice fly, a double, the great defensive play by Marcos Gonzalez and the home run by Gutierrez to give Texas a seven run advantage.

The Indians weren’t completely dead, however, as Brayan Lavastida singled and Miguel Jerez brought home his second run of the game with a sac fly. Lavastida would then steal second and come home on a Cristopher Cespedes single to center. It was too little, too late, however, as Felix Fernandez ended the game on a fly ball to center.