After all the hype that had been going on since the Ontario Tower Buzzers had their big name reveal party, it was finally time for Opening Day. The gates of ONT Field were opened for baseball for the first time. Fans were excited about minor league baseball coming to Ontario, and for a very good reason.
The Tower Buzzers are the new single A minor league affiliate of the two-time World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Several Dodgers legends were there to celebrate the opening of the new field, including Steve Sax, Mickey Hatcher, and Shawn Green among others.
To throw out the first pitch, the Tower Buzzers had another Dodger legend on hand: former Spanish radio broadcaster Jamie Jarrin. Catching the first pitch was another memorable former Dodger: relief pitcher Joe Kelly. Having all these Dodgers legends really was a hit with Ontario’s Dodger fan base and a reminder of how former Dodger players are still remembered and revered by the fans long after their career ends.
The sights around the stadium fit perfectly with the Tower Buzzers’ theme of aviation. When the Buzzers hit a home run, the lights would do a light show and a plane in the outfield pavilion would light up. They even had vintage planes fly over the stadium during the National Anthem (sung in Spanish…suck it Kid Rock). The stadium was packed with the sold out crowd: fans were pumped, fans were excited, and…fans were let down.
The Tower Buzzers ended up losing their first game to the Lake Elsinore Storm, the minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres, by a score of 7-5. The Tower Buzzers tried to stage a comeback late in the game, but they just couldn’t overcome the Storm’s big inning in the 3rd when they put up five runs in one inning. The Storm picked off a runner trying to steal second base to end the game and stop the rally.
So, despite the hype and how nice the stadium was, it was a pretty forgettable opening for the Tower Buzzers. Their offense seemed flat, except for the latter parts of the game, when all they could muster was two solo home runs. The Tower Buzzers’ pitchers also walked 12 batters. It was a good reminder about why these guys are so low in the Dodgers’ minor league system.
However, it didn’t put too much damper on the fans’ spirits. Ontario certainly pulled out all the stops to put this together, and they didn’t disappoint. My personal favorite part was when Shawn Green came out. Growing up a Dodgers fan, Shawn Green was my idol: he holds or is tied for the record for most home runs in a game (four), most extra base hits in a game (five), most runs scored in a game (six), and plenty more.
Fans seem ready for all the excitement the Tower Buzzers have generated for this season. They just need more out of their pitching staff and more consistency from their offense if they want to truly succeed.
Check out some of the photos taken from Opening Day:
OTHER SPORTS NEWS:
Earlier in the week, the Tower Buzzers’ uptown neighbors, the Ontario Reign (the minor league hockey affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings) put the beatdown on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on the road. One would think that the Reign would let up having already clinched a playoff spot. For those that thought that: you were wrong. The Reign humiliated the Firebirds in their own arena by a score of 7-0. The Reign head home for the home stretch of the regular season.
In FIFA World Cup news, Italy was stunned on Tuesday as Bosnia and Herzegovina upset them in penalty kicks to punch their ticket to the World Cup. In response a few days later, Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso announced early Friday morning that he was stepping down by mutual consent. This is heartbreaking for the Italians as they will sit out their third consecutive World Cup tournament.
The NFL Draft is less than three weeks away. Pro days are wrapping up as prospects show NFL teams what they got one last time before the Draft. It is all but guaranteed that Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana is going to be picked first by the Las Vegas Raiders, who hold the No. 1 pick. Many analysts remark about how humble and calm Mendoza is, with some even saying he’s “way ahead” in preparations for the NFL. Multiple sources confirm that Mendoza will be heading to Las Vegas on Tuesday to meet with Raiders officials.
Finally, we have to talk about the hottest team in Los Angeles right now. It’s not the Dodgers or the Lakers…it’s Angel City FC. After I was brutally honest about where they were after last season, I am happy to be wrong about how I thought their season would start. They start the season with three straight wins. While they didn’t come out flying against the Houston Dash last Friday, Angel City recovered from a sluggish start by scoring a pair of goals just minutes into the second half, which led to securing a 2-1 victory. Now with three goals on the year, it was striker Sveindís Jónsdóttir who scored the eventual game-winner — the 24-year-old is flying in her first full NWSL campaign. While Angel City’s schedule is about to get tougher, they’ve taken care of business remarkably well so far.
