A Bronks Tale

The Calgary Bronchos faced every cliche in the book. Their backs were against the wall, it was do or die, they were on the brink of elimination.

After falling behind 4-1 in the best-of-nine series against the Regina Senators, the Bronks overcame the adversity to emerge victorious.

However, it came with some rumours of their opposition “laying down.”

Herd’s the Word

The last time we checked in with Andrew Yusypchuk, he was getting ready to celebrate his 17th birthday at the Tournament-12 in Toronto.

A year later, he’s celebrating for another reason.

Soon to be 18, the young right-hander has announced he will be starting his post-secondary baseball journey with the Marshall University Fighting Herd.

We asked him a series of questions about what led up to the announcement and where he plans to go from here.

Opening It Up

The last time we saw Calgarian Mike Soroka take the mound for the Atlanta Braves, he was breaking new ground.

It was Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the St. Louis Cardinals – an exciting 3-1 victory for Atlanta – and Soroka struck out seven batters through seven innings while surrendering no walks, just two hits and one earned run.

It’s been a long time since that game at Busch Stadium on Oct. 6, 2019, and it feels even longer with the COVID-19 pandemic that has cancelled and postponed baseball games at all levels this year.

Tooning Up For the Big Leagues

From Saskatchewan to Seattle, Marco Gonzales always managed to take his game to the next level.

The 28-year-old is one of the more notable alumni of the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), and after signing a four-year, $30-million contract extension with the Mariners in 2020, the reliable left-handed pitcher should be memorable to those who follow the summer collegiate circuit.

Potent Pitching

Luring one of the most mild-mannered players in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to charge the mound is an unusual achievement, but it’s one that Lou Pote can celebrate.

The 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher was with the Anaheim Angels in 2001 when he did the nearly impossible: he made Hall-of-Fame designated hitter (DH) Edgar Martinez mad … like, really mad.

It was the sixth inning of an early October game in Anaheim between the Angels and the Seattle Mariners, who finished that season with an American League (AL) record 116 wins.