Well….maybe these guys weren’t so “uppity” at all….but it makes for one hell of a headline right? I’ve been accused of a lotta shit in my life, but “click-baiting” ain’t one of ’em….well , at least until now.
It’s funny I was talking to Hack Workman after we had our reunion back in 2011 and I do remember him telling me that somehow at our reunion two or three players from the Sunland-Tujunga ball club were actually THERE. That’s right….at our reunion.
I guess Hack knew these guys from way back or something. Anyways they were there. I think I remember even being introduced to these dudes.
I asked Hack “what did they say about the reunion?”
He told me they had said to him at the reunion that “they were just happy to even be in the same room with Verdugo….because obviously we didn’t belong on the same field with them!”
Hahaha (true story….ask Hack about it someday)
Yes-sir-ree Sunland-Tujunga knew early on they were outmatched….with ‘Ol Hack picking up the win on the mound in his first start of the season. Hack went all the way in this seven-inning game played at Monroe High (yes Monroe High), scattering four hits and striking out five in a commanding 6-1 Verdugo Hills victory which took us to 3-0 on the year.
We drew first blood in the first inning with two outs when Lance Evans singled and Josh Canale came up and tripled him in.
Hack Retired the first seven batters he faced until a one-out double followed by a base hit tied it at one in the top of the third.
That must have annoyed us a little because in the bottom of the third inning it began like this: Ivan Moreno – base hit. Lance Evans – base hit. Josh Canale – base hit scoring Moreno. Robb Turner – base hit scoring Evans. Kirk Hagee came up and grounded out scoring Canale…..and then Dave Fielder stepped up and rocked one up the gap scoring Turner and just like that it was 5-1 Verdugo!
Sunland-Tujunga tried getting uppity in the fourth….with a one-out double. The next batter grounded to third where Yves Brancheau was playing for us that day. The runner on second got out a little too far into no-mans land and Yves decided not to throw to first but instead ran him back towards second base then fired to Josh (who started at second base for us that day) and Josh fired to Evans who was covering third and put the tag on his ass.
Hack retired the next hitter on a fly ball that was hauled in by Turner….who was out in right field for us that day.
We added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out when Hack singled….Moreno singled….we then ran a double-steal and Evans drove in Hack on a towering sacrifice fly to center.
Hack then retired nine out of the next ten hitters….giving up a token base-hit with two out in the final inning.
Hack threw a gem for us ….zero walks and our defense played an errorless game.
A commanding victory. We had eleven hits in the win. Fielder, Canale, Evans, and Moreno each with two hits. Kirk Hagge doubled in the second inning …..and Robb Turner and Hack also added base hits for us.
You know it’s strange to this very day I remember this day vividly. We played this game at Monroe High. I don’t think the Sunland-Tujunga team had a home field that season. Glendale High wasn’t available for some reason on this date and we ended up playing this one at Monroe.
I even remember what I WORE at this game. We were 2-0 going in and it was hot as fuck that day and I broke tradition by not wearing the same thing I wore at our previous win. There’s an old saying “you never fuck with a winning streak” but that’s exactly what I did that day. I wore a salmon-colored short sleeve tee with the infamous basketball warm-up pants with the high-top Nike’s with the laces untied.
I also remember that on this day my voice was horse as hell from all the yelling from the dugout in the first couple of games of the season.
This ballgame also was Dan Bir’s first start in a Verdugo uniform.
Sunland-Tujunga? Ok ….not so uppity after all. And we definitely threw them to the ground. Once down though….they didn’t even try to get up. That dog don’t hunt….you know what I mean?
Verdugo….3-0. Up next? Valley-South.
verdugo288 