verdugo288

I tweaked the schedule so that there were no games played while I honeymooned.  I returned a week later, and now we had some BIG games to play.  We were at the point now where we couldn’t lose anymore games if we wanted a shot at the Playoffs.  But with Verdugo….you never know.  We still hadn’t really “got hot” and rattled off three or four wins in a row so if anything…we were due. 

If they had camera crews following around teams back in those days and televising the action, Verdugo would have definitely stolen the spotlight from some of the powerhouse teams around the League.  Why?  Because damn near every time we played, we put on a great show.  And today was no exception. 

We rolled out to Saugus to play the Newhall-Saugus team.  For more information on the crazy shit that went down on our ride out that day…..please read my earlier posts “The Saugus 500…Parts One and Two.”

Newhall-Saugus was on track to take the last playoff spot so I told everyone “we gotta beat these guys.”

“Don’t worry Gee”………..was all I heard.

“We can’t lose any more games”………I said.

“Don’t worry Gee”………

God I loved this Team!

Depleted pitching staff?  No problem!  McBride goes ALL THE WAY in a nine-inning game.  We win!!

Facing Erik Hiljus the Big Hard-throwing early-round draft pick?  No problem!  We lit him up!

Vic drew four walks, stole three bases and scored three runs.

Frost singled and scored twice.

Tex went three-for-four with two doubles and three RBI.

BullOxen Two hits and Two RBI.

Weapon Two hits and Two RBI.

McBride threw 134 pitches and went all the way for the win.  It was a little shaky…but we pulled off another upset.

One thing I will never forget is the absolute SHOT one of the Newhall-Saugus players BOMBED for a homerun in the first inning off of McBride.  This ball was probably the longest homerun I had ever seen hit in a Legion game.  Of course, in 1991 we saw BullOxen hit one that we measured after the game at an estimated 510 feet (when it landed)…..but the ball this guy hit was probably just as far.  It was hard to tell.  There was that Big Blue Fence at Saugus High.  Bull’s was hit at an open field up in LittleRock.  Plus, Bull’s shot rolled at least another 50 feet in some pretty deep grass.  So it’s hard to say which ball went further………..

This was one of those homeruns where the dugout gets real quiet.  Usually, when we’d give up a homerun I’d never look at anyone in the dugout.  I’d have to kind of put on my pokerface and pretend that it “didn’t hurt.”  You know, just kind of keep looking out at the field and say nothing.  No change in expression, that kind of thing.  Stoneface it, if you will.  As a manager you have to do shit like that, you know.  Even if it DOES hurt.

But within a short time of this ball landing (about 30 seconds later), I couldn’t keep a straight face.  I had to kind of shake my head at first.  Then I kind of looked at people in the dugout with a little peripheral vision…just to see their reaction.  Next thing you know I was making eye-contact with guys in the dugout and kind of saying “Fuck, did you see that SHOT?”

Then it escalated even further.  Everybody in the dugout was now talking about that ball he hit and laughing about it.  Then we looked out at the field.  I could see from the dugout that some of our guys in the field were kind of looking at each other like “Fuck…did you see that?”

Finally, we looked at McBride.  He couldn’t hold it in either….he started laughing too!!!!!

It didn’t matter…we all just kind of admired it.  Guys in our dugout were needling McBride about it the rest of the game.  We all had a good laugh about it.  That SHOT that kid hit was no fluke.  He led the District that summer in home runs with (I think) seven.  Usually I would read the papers and follow the stats around the League so I at least had SOME clue as to who was putting up the big numbers, and at least try to warn the pitchers.  But I didn’t do my homework on this guy.  Somehow he came in under the radar.  Well, after that SHOT he hit we knew EXACTLY who he was…..and pitched him very carefully the rest of the day.  He also doubled and singled before the game was over, but he didn’t tag us again like that first at-bat of his.

This was another clutch victory for Verdugo.  We were still “alive” mathematically in the playoff hunt at 8-7.  I don’t know what was more fun on this day in Verdugo-lore…..  beating up Newhall-Saugus like we did or the rides to and from the game. 

McBride chucking nine innings like that when we needed it was CLUTCH.  But we still had another HUGE game coming up the next day (Sunday) against Woodland Hills East.  If ever there was a game that should have been caught on film it would be the game that we were about to play.  Woodand Hills East was 15-1 or something like that.  We needed one more miracle……….and little did I know that I was about to experience one of my proudest moments EVER as a coach.