May
23
2012

Fear And Loathing In New Britain With Some RockCat Angst

An article by Petey Pete Comments

: B-Met Manager Pedro Lopez Throws BP

Well at least Wheeler is pitching today, and I just saw him and boy does he have his game face on. After two rain-filled night games where the RockCats ate the B-Mets lunch, we got day baseball, we got sun, and we got Zack Wheeler on the hill today.

This is Petey Pete coming to you live from the press-box, behind homeplate high atop beautiful New Britain Stadium in Hardware City, Connecticut. The game will be starting in a half-hour so I thought I would take the time to post a few photos I took during BP today.

Pedro Zapata And Jefry Marte Head In To Take Some Swings

Well the game started and Wheeler is masterful retiring the first nine men to face him on just 28 pitches. While I was downstairs taking photos in the first two innings I heard the buzz from some Mets fans behind the visitor’s dugout, that Paul DePodesta and J.P. Richardi are in the park today. Here’s some shots of Wheeler.

Wheeler Delivers First-Inning Pitch

The Mets spotted Wheeler to a 1-0 lead on a bases-loaded wild-pitch. So far through four, he has only given up one walk with four strikeouts. His breaking ball has looked very sharp, with his fastball sitting mid 90′s and topping out at 97 mph.

New Britain scored a run to tie the game in the fifth on an RBI single, the first hit that Wheeler has given up so far. RockCat starter David Bromberg is pitching his best game of the year giving up only the one run on four hits through five.

Raul Reyes Readies For The Pitch

It looks like the B-Mets might be putting together a little sixth-inning rally. I’m gonna go so I can enjoy the rest of this great game. Watching Wheeler dominate like this could very well be a glimpse into the Mets future. Uh-oh this rally isn’t going too good. Two outs now man, on third. Rats! Ground out third to first, game still tied.

After six, Wheeler still has a one-hitter working, Make sure to check the MMO Minor League Farm Report tomorrow to find out how this one ends. Tim Burns our Binghamton Mets correspondent will be recapping this one like he does everyday. If you haven’t seen the MMO Farm Report you are missing something very special. It appears every morning right here on MMO and covers all your Mets minor league affiliates with a crackerjack staff of minor league journalists. Why go anywhere else for Mets news? LGM!

Update: With an unearned run in the eighth, the B-Mets take a 2-1 lead! It’s the bottom of the eighth now, and Wheeler is still throwing mid-90′s heat. His smooth effortless delivery is just simply too much for the hapless RockCats hitters. A little bit of luck and I’ll be having a nice pleasant ride home for the first time this week. I’m crossing my fingers.

About the Author: Peter Shapiro

The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.

1 Comment + Add Comment

Brian May 23, 2012 at 3:00 pm

You really get to go to a lot of games. When I lived in VA and the Mets Triple A team was there, I used to catch about 30-40 games a year. I love minor league games. The atmosphere, enthusiasm and the food makes for a great day at the park.

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	22	18	.550	-
Nationals	22	19	.537	0.5
Phillies	19	22	.463	3.5
Mets	15	23	.395	6.0
Marlins	11	30	.268	11.5

Last updated: 05/17/2013

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