It was a classic summer night in Reading as Jesse took the mound against the Akron Aeros. Just below 90 degrees at game time and not much cooler as the post-game fireworks went off just before 10:00 PM, FirstEnergy Stadium was rockin’ with reported attendance of 7,719.
Jesse had good command most of the night of all his pitches and his fastball was sitting in the low 90s as always, but the Aeros were patient when they needed to be and got some timely hits to score single runs in the 3rd and 5th innings. They bested Jess in his last inning, the 7th, by taking advantage of a lead-off walk and using small ball tactics to score, going up 3-2 before he left the mound for the evening. The Aeros did not look back in the 8th or 9th.
Reading center fielder Tyson Gillies went 2-for-5 with two HRs in the team’s 7-5 loss Friday. (Ralph Trout, photo)
Those of us in the park got to see something special. Tyson Gillies, center fielder and lead-off hitter, had two solo home runs in the game. Tyson probably has the fastest home run “trot” in the game. You should really get out to FirstEnergy Stadium soon to catch a glimpse of this hot hitter who has 4 dingers in his last 6 games. Keep your eye on this guy. He’s fun to watch and a special player.
Jesse’s line on the game was 102 pitches over 7 innings; 7 hits; 3 walks; 6 strikeouts; and 3 earned runs. It was a good performance. The starting pitcher’s job is to keep his team in the game. In the end, though, the Fightins lost 7-5.
See Mike Drago’s Reading Eagle article on the game here.
Jesse’s next scheduled start is in Altoona against The Curve on Thursday, June 6 (7:00 PM). He’s back home after that on June 11 for a 7:05 game against the Bowie Baysox.
Note: Reading plays a special 9:35 AM breakfast game against Harrisburg on Monday, June 10. That could be a really fun way to start your summer off, so head on out to the ballpark with your travel mug full of beer and coffee. I’m wondering if they’ll be serving breakfast hotdogs. Guess we’ll find out.
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