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I’ve already actually written a little something about this great day in Verdugo History about 9-10 years ago. I have a link to that story at the bottom of this post. The story I wrote back in 2010 was titled “Father’s Day with Ron Cey”

Yes this was Father’s Day 1992. And yeah Ron Cey was there at the field watching his son play against Verdugo. This was the first time in our history we got to face this team.

Another big game. Another future big leaguer playing for the opposition as well in this game….Randy Wolf.

So please check out the link regarding Verdugo’s interaction with Ron Cey himself. It’s still funny when I read it. We were brutal. And we never held back….not even with Ron Cey.

I remember this day pretty well. It was a beautiful day for baseball. No clouds ….birds chirping….even some bees flying around doing their thing. Gotta love Mother Nature ….even on Father’s Day.

We had a great thing going. It was Verdugo against the world. Everybody was trying to stop us now so it seemed. It wasn’t just the opposing teams coming at us anymore. It was umpires…..league officials…..reporters who may not have liked my attitude at times….everybody was coming at us.

But that’s what ya want….right?

And this day was no different. Even Mother Nature tried to derail us. She took a shot at our ass too!!!! But just like anything else that got in our way in ’92….even ‘Ol Mother Nature got her ass thrown to the ground and stomped on by Verdugo!!!!

I’ll get to that later. Let’s get to talking about this win!!!!

The final score was 8-3 but I don’t think the score was indicative of how thoroughly we punished these dudes. We hit the ball HARD that day. Not everything got us on base….in fact, we only had 8 hits on the day.

They scored three runs against us in the third inning but apart from that were totally dominated. Canale pitching the complete game nine-inning victory. He only allowed five hits and struck out 11.

Three balls they hit that day were weak ground balls right back to Bull….one he even turned a 1-6-3 double play off the bat of Dan Cey that ended the third inning.

Woodland Hills West’s two big guns….Cey and Randy Wolf were a combined 0-6 at the plate. Wolf striking out three times. Wolf reached base via a walk in the 5th and was promptly mowed down trying to steal by Dave Fielder.

Lance Evans got us on the board in the first inning with a two run homer. Evans drove in four runs for us on the day…..and his two-RBI base hit in the 8th really blew the game open and put it out of “grand-slam-reach”….giving us a five-run lead going into the ninth.

Kasey started and played the entire game at second base. And laid down a beauty of a squeeze bunt in the second inning….scoring Kirk Hagge and giving us a 3-0 lead.

They rolled a three on us in the top of the 4th tying the score at 3-3.

Haggs added a base hit of his own in the fourth that made it 4-3 Verdugo scoring Robb Turner, who drew a walk leading off the inning and was wild-pitched to second.

Hack Workman led off the 5th with a base hit….and was wild-pitched to second….and third. Evans drew a walk with one out and we ran a double-steal….Evans being thrown out at second….with Hack scoring and making it 5-3 Verdugo.

It was right around this time that Mother Nature struck. Canale on the mound….and what happens? He gets stung by a fricking bee!

On his pitching hand!

This Bee came from outta nowhere (what are the ODDS?) and dive-bombed his ass. He swatted it ….smacked it ….wrestled with it ….and finally knocked it to the ground with his glove and stomped it dead!

So what do you do as a manager when a guy like Bull Oxen gets nailed by a bee on his pitching hand? Well what else do ya do? You leave him in the game! He was on a roll !!!!!!

The players from the West team were ragging on him about it to be sure. But Bull kept mowing em down.

Honestly I don’t know at what point of the game this happened. I can’t remember. I personally am guessing it was after they scored off him. Because I remember he dominated after the sting.

But I may be wrong….I asked him today what he remembered and he thought it was in the second or third inning.

Either way it was no later than the fourth or fifth inning and he would know better than me ….so if it happened 2nd or 3rd inning that just makes it even more commanding!!!!

Either way. He shut them off. After they scored three in the fourth inning….he retired twelve hitters in row!!!!

He took the sting in the meaty area on his pitching hand between the thumb and index finger and yeah it swelled up.

But like I said earlier….nothing stopped us that year. Not even Mother Nature. So to Mother Nature? Nice try! And just like Sunland-Tujunga….Mother Nature got her ass thrown to the ground!

Meanwhile, we kept adding to our lead. Robb Turner was hit by a pitch leading off for us in the bottom half of the sixth. Haggs sacrificed him to second and then Dave Fielder ripped a double up the gap and it was 6-3 Verdugo.

Hack Workman led off the seventh for us with a walk….and Ivan Moreno singled. They threw another wild pitch…putting runners at 2nd and third when Evans stepped up and ripped the base hit that made it 8-3 and really put the lid on things.

The Wiley Jackson came into the game in the bottom of the 8th and drew a walk. He also hauled in two fly balls out in left field in the 9th inning….including the final out.

Verdugo goes to 7-1 !!!!

I remember I was smelling blood towards the end of this game as we came off the diamond between innings….maybe in the 7th or 8th inning.

I was saying stuff like “cmon continue to dominate!” Just reminding you guys not to let up.

I distinctly remember saying “cmon you beat these bastards and you’re on the map!” I turned around after saying that and Don Hornbeck….their manager was about two feet away from me walking from his spot in the third base dugout back to the first base dugout and heard it all!!!!

Did I care? HELL NO!!!!

I remember the eye contact. His eyes basically said “dang you guys aren’t fucking around are ya?”…,

My eyes said to him “no….we’re not”

We eventually had to let everyone in the league know, too. And I think we did. Word was getting around.

The one thing that happened after this game was as follows….and it kept happening every game during the regular season for the rest of ’92 and all of ’93 and it was this:

Every team we faced from this game forward threw their ace at us. They knew it was the only chance they had.

But that’s what ya want? Right?

To read “Fathers Day with Ron Cey” click here https://www.google.com/amp/s/verdugo288.wordpress.com/2010/12/23/fathers-day-with-ron-cey/amp/