I had a little free time on my hands so I thought I would make a mid-week post.
Despite the loss last night, our 4th of July was an awesome experience. We wore red, white, and blue uniforms (new jerseys and stirrups) that were auctioned off at the conclusion of the game. All the players were curious who would be fan-favorite and get the highest bid. Left-handed pitcher Philippe Valiquette was excellent. He was working between 92-94 and topping out at 95-96. It was fun watching him deal.
I officially gave up my first professional run on an 8th-inning, 300-foot homerun that barely cleared the 287-foot right field wall in Missoula. Even though I was not happy leaving the 1-2 offering up in the zone, I felt the pop-up was pretty cheap. In the top of the 9th, we scored 6 runs to take the lead, which put me in line for the win, but Missoula hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th to win the game…not a great end to a get-away game before a 6 hour ride home.
I hope everyone in Redleg Nation enjoyed the 4th. It will be exciting to see how the Reds and the whole organization respond to the manager change, as well as the second half of the season.
matt k.