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PORTLAND – The partisan Portland crowd couldn’t have been happier with the home cooking offered at Wednesday night’s third annual Eastern League All-Star Game.
Most of the 6,975 fans left happy after seeing almost every member of the Portland Sea Dogs player contingent in the game contribute to the northern division’s 9-6 victory over the southern division.
With six Sea Dogs players making up one quarter of the North squad, chances were good that someone would do something notable, but the Dogs distinguished themselves in terms of quality AND quantity.
“I think it was just fun for everybody. I don’t think it had anything to do with the fact there were six Sea Dogs on the team. I think it was just the fact that all the guys were really good,” said Portland’s Chris Durbin, a late replacement who contributed with a sprinting catch of a sinking flare in shallow right center in the eighth inning.
Offensively, the combined Sea Dogs box score read as follows: 11 at-bats, three runs scored, four hits, and three RBIs by five players.
“I was really proud of our guys tonight. They had a lot of quality at-bats and there’s a lot of things that won’t show up in the box score that were done really well,” said Sea Dogs and North manager Todd Claus.
Besides Durbin’s defensive stab, fellow Dogs outfielder Brandon Moss distinguished himself with the glove by making two fine running, lunging catches, one of which came against the right field wall that took away a sure-fire extra-base hit.
“Shoot, I just saw it look like it was headed over the fence and I decided to jump for it. Why not? You know, I mean if you catch it, you catch it. It was more of a reaction,” said Moss through a wide grin.
Shortstop Hanley Ramirez made all the defensive plays he had a chance on and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. Dogs teammate and double-play combination partner Kenny Perez delivered a big, two-out two-run double in the bottom of the eighth off the wall in right center to score the game-winning run.
“I got an 0-1 fastball middle away and I was pretty much looking to drive something. I got lucky when he left it over the plate,” Perez said.
Pitcher Jon Lester didn’t see any action and third baseman Jared Sandberg went 0-for-2, but scored a run.
“Every one of our guys deserved to be on this team and we all showed we’re good players tonight,” said Durbin.
New Britain first baseman-designated hitter Dan Matienzo made his first all-star experience a great one by going 3-for-3, driving in a run, scoring two more, and earning the Star of Stars (MVP) Award.
“This is what I play for. Just to be here is awesome and to be recognized like this I’m ecstatic right now. There’s a smile on my face from ear to ear,” Matienzo said.
Matienzo delivered the key hit in what was the deciding inning as he flared a double that landed just fair down the right field line to score David Bacani and make it 6-6 with one out in the eighth. Perez and Omir Santos followed with back-to-back wall-ball doubles to cap the scoring.
The South stars jumped out to a quick lead, thanks to a two-out RBI single to left by Randy Ruiz in the top of the first. The liner scored Altoona outfielder Rajai Davis from second. The lead was stretched to 3-0 on the strength of a two-run homer by Van Every in the second inning on an 0-2 fastball from Norwich pitcher Merkin Valdez.
Trenton first baseman Shelley Duncan, who won the Home Run Derby contest and a $500 cash prize with 12 blasts, helped the North get a run back with his 13th of the day on a first-pitch offering from Altoona’s Thomas Gorzellany in the second. Duncan belted the pitch 360 feet down the right field line, well over the U.S. Cellular neon sign.
The North stars weren’t done in the second, however, as they made the South pay for a defensive miscue with two unearned runs to tie it up. Hanley Ramirez hit a sharp grounder to second, which Harrisburg’s Edgar Gonzalez fielded on the run. He had to rush the throw and threw just wide and low to first, allowing Ramirez to reach and two runs to come home.
The host North team took its first lead of the game in the third via a one-out RBI single to right field by Portland’s Moss which scored Norwich’s Carlos Valderrama from third. The lead was a short-lived one, however, as Erie catcher Max St. Pierre whacked an 0-1 pitch from Trenton pitcher Matt DeSalvo into the net above the 37-foot “Maine Monster” left field wall.
The home crowd was delighted again by their hometown heroes as Ramirez helped the North regain the lead (5-4) almost all by himself. After singling to lead off the bottom of the fifth, Ramirez stole second AND third. He then scored on an errant throw that got past catcher St. Pierre.
Once again, the South wasted little time coming back as Harrisburg infielder Edgar Gonzalez and Van Every greeted New Hampshire Fisher Cats pitcher Josh Banks with back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth to make it 6-5 south.
NORTH 9, SOUTH 6
(Wednesday night)
South North
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Davis, cf 3 1 1 0 Ramirez, ss 3 1 0
Bourn, cf 1 0 0 0 Perez, ss 2 1 2
Roberson, rf 5 0 2 0 Jacobs, c 3 0 0
Bautista, 3b 3 0 0 0 Santos, c 2 0 1
Osborn, 3b 2 0 0 0 Valderrama, cf 3 1 0
Ruiz, 1b 1 0 1 1 Durbin, cr 2 0 0
Bonifay, 1b 3 0 0 0 Duncan, 1b/dh 4 1 1
Johnson, dh 4 0 0 0 Moss, rf 2 0 1
Gonzalez, 2b 3 2 1 1 Ortmeier, rf 2 0 0
Van Every, lf 4 2 3 3 Sandberg, 3b 2 0
Dorta, ss 4 0 1 0 Bacani, 3b 2 1 0
St. Pierre, c 2 1 1 1 Matienzo, dh/1b 3 1
Wilson, ph/c 2 0 0 0 Deeds, lf 4 0 0
Roberts, 2b 2 1 0 0
Totals 37 6 10 6 Totals 36 9 14 6
South 120 012 000 – 6
North 031 010 04x – 9
E-Gonzalez 2; LOB-South 7, North 6; 2B-Roberson 2; Perez, Santos 2, Matienzo; 3B-Valderrama; HR-Gonzalez, Van Every 2; St. Pierre, Duncan; DP-South 1; SB-Davis, Dorta; Ramirez 2
South IP H R ER BB SO
Gorzelanny 2 4 3 1 1 1
Rojas 1 2 1 1 0 1
Borner 1 0 0 0 0 0
Rice 1 1 1 0 0 1
Davis 1 2 0 0 0 1
Rivera 1 1 0 0 0 1
Cooper (L, 0-1) 1 4 4 4 1 3
North IP H R ER BB SO
Bannister 1 2 1 1 0 3
Valdez 1 1 2 2 1 0
Burres 1 0 0 0 1 1
Desalvo 2 1 1 1 0 2
Banks 1 3 2 2 0 1
Miller 1 1 0 0 1 2
Pope (W) 1 1 0 0 0 1
Gronkiewicz (S) 1 1 0 0 0 0
HBP-Matienzo, by Borner; WP-Borner; PB-St. Pierre; T-2:36; ATT-6,975
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