Sky Hill Park – Eagan, MN
As if on cue, the rain clouds broke and temperatures hit a balmy 55 degrees as day two of the 2011 HRL season began. In an early season match-up of division rivals, the Yankees hosted the new-look Gothams for a double-header that provided a classic wiffleball yin and yang. In game 1, H9K squared off against the Yankee’s Torpedo. H9K had early command of his pitches, getting ahead early and making batters chase. Torpedo struggled with his control leading to a 5 run first inning. Lack of control continued to plague the tall right-hander before being lifted in the 2nd inning. Despite a better show by the bullpen, the Yankees were mercy ruled in the 5th inning 11-0. Gotham manager T. Legend was pleased with his team’s early season display of patience and firepower; a sharp contrast to last year’s final games. “We knew this lineup had the potential and we stressed the need for quality at-bats. I’m glad to see it translated to the field tonight.”
Questions certainly surrounded the Gothams 4-man roster coming into the season; particularly the addition of newbie Jagr. With fresh rumors that the roster move was not a unanimous decision, T. Legend downplayed the rookie in pre-game interviews. “We’re going to take a look at him and see how he does. I hope he can hit over .250.”