Thursday, August 4, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

Modesto Nuts (51-48). 10. 8. 2

Stockton Ports (33-66). 7. 11. 3

STOCKTON–Watching a ball game in the San Joaquin Valley is different from doing it on the shores of San Francisco Bay. For one, the temperature at game time was 93 degrees.

Here, in the low class A California League, Grantland Rice’s oft quoted lines “For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,/He writes – not that you won or lost – / But how you played the game,” takes on new meaning.

It’s of no great moment that the 33-66 Stockton Ports, on their way to the worst season in franchise history, dropped an 11 inning 10-7 decision to the 51-48 Modesto Nuts. What matters to the organizations to which the teams belong-the A’s and Mariners, respectively-is how well individual players performed. To the fans, it’s the pleasure of the players’ performances.

No one on the Ports’ roster figures in the list of Oakland’s top 50 prospects. Gone are the days when you could spend a balmy summer’s night watching the Matts, Chapman and Olson, strut their stuff on the banks of the delta.

The Nuts, on the other hand, boast of four top prospects. They are, in descending order Harry Ford, tonight’s DH, left fielder Gabriel González, and two. switch hitters, third baseman Milkar Pérez and center fielder Jonatán Clase.

Modesto’s starting lineup also included the delightfully named right fielder Walking Cabrera. The home plate umpire’s moniker also was a source of innocent merriment, Daniel Bytheway.

The top of the third was neither innocent nor merry. Modesto scored one run, no hits, one error, a passed ball, a balk, and two wild pitches. (The top of the second was pretty ugly, too, but you get the picture).

It wasn’t a well played game, but it was an exciting one. The victorious Nuts used four pitchers. They were, in order of appearance Jake Miednik, Chris Jefferson, José Geraldo, and the winner, Raúl Alcántara.

Clark Cota took the loss for the Ports, whose other hurlers were the starter, Yehizón Sánchez, followed by Luke Anderson, Hunter Brreault, Ed Baram, and Cota.