Rocking Out With Yoh Daikan

I finally got a chance to see former Fighter and Giant Yoh Daikan play independent ball here in the States.  He had spent last season with Lake Country Dock Hounds of the American Association who play in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin where my sister-in-law lives.  My wife and I were out there last summer but it was the one weekend in August that the Dock Hounds weren't home.  

I was happy this past winter when I heard he'd signed with the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League as there's a couple teams in that league that play near where I live.  However, looking at team schedules I was surprised to see that this season High Point will never play in Lancaster, the nearest team to where I live, and will only play one series in York, the next closest team, and it'll be a mid-week series in mid-September.  The Rockers were scheduled to play against both of the Maryland teams in the Atlantic League - the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (who play in Waldorf) and the Spire City Ghost Hounds (who play in Frederick).  Both teams are about 70 miles from my house but Frederick is a much easier drive than Waldorf is, so I headed out there last Saturday to see the Rockers and Yoh play.  I also met up with my good friend Steve at the ballpark.  The last two times we'd seen each other was his son's Bar Mitzvah and my daughter's wedding and needless to say, we didn't get a chance to talk too much at either event.

Despite already having gotten Yoh's autograph when I went to the Fighters' spring training in Peoria, Arizona back in 2016, I decided I wanted to get another one from him.  But I also decided that instead of getting a card autographed, I'd print out a photo I took of him in Arizona and have him autograph that.  I ultimately got a 4x6 print done that incorporated two of the photos I took.

Grove Stadium in Frederick is about 33 years old - Steve and I were actually at the first game there in 1990 - and the team clubhouses are located at the same level as the concourse behind the seating bowl, meaning that the players have to dodge a gauntlet of fans to get to the field.  I arrived at the park about an hour before game time and joined the small group of autograph seekers who had staked out the Rockers' clubhouse on the third base side of the field.  We all had a good time hanging out, waiting for the players who seemed to be taking longer than expected to come out.

Finally, about 20 minutes before game time, the players started to head to the field.  Most of them seemed to be pretty good about stopping for autographs - even Frank Viola, the pitching coach.  None of the other autograph hounds were after Yoh so he was starting slip through the crowd before I was sure it was him.  I called out to him "Sumimasen, Yoh-san" which I think surprised him as he stopped and looked at me.  I handed him the photo and a sharpie and he quickly signed it.  I think he was amused that it was a photo and not a card.  I told him I had an extra copy of the photo if he wanted it and gave it to him.  We thanked each other and he headed off to the field.  (It wouldn't surprise me if he threw the copy of the photo away but I'd rather not know.)

Here's the signed photo(s):

I bought some food and made my way over to our seats just before the game got underway.  I had picked up really good seats - three rows from the field right behind home plate - so Steve and I had almost front row seats to what ended up being quite a ballgame, albeit a one-sided one.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Ghost Hounds scored first on a solo home run by former Rakuten Golden Eagle Jose Marmolejos, one of three former NPB players in Spire City's starting lineup.  The others were former Chiba Lotte Marine Jimmy Paredes and former Chunichi Dragon Moises Sierra.  I want to mention that former Carp pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Ghost Hounds as well.  

High Point tied the game in the third inning on a solo home run from Quincy Latimore and went ahead with a four run fifth inning which included a two run shot by Zander Weil.  The Ghost Hounds scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 5-2 but that was as close as they'd get.  High Point went up 8-2 in the eighth inning on Latimore's second home run of the night, a three run shot but they really poured it on in the top of the ninth, scoring an amazing 14 runs to make the score 22-2 which was how it finished.

I have to mention a couple of things about that ninth inning.  The Rockers sent 17 men to the plate so they almost batted around twice.  Everyone who batted in the inning either scored or made an out (14 runs plus 3 outs equals 17 batters).  With only one out, ten runs already in and the bases loaded, Spire City had a position player come into pitch - second baseman Scott Kelly.  Ben Aklinski hit Kelly's first pitch over the right field wall for a grand slam for the final scoring of the game.  Kelly did retire the next two batters to mercifully end the inning.

Yoh was originally listed in the lineup at first base but actually played third.  He went 2-4 with two walks, scored two runs and had one RBI.  His double started the onslaught in the top of the ninth and he reached on a fielders choice in his second at bat of the inning.  He scored both of his runs in the ninth.

I want to share some photos I took although the screen behind home plate prevented me from getting many good shots.

Yoh heading to the field after signing for me

Pregame lineup showing Yoh at first base

National Anthem

Yoh playing third

Yoh on deck

Yoh batting

Latimore reaching home after his second home run

Beautiful sky that evening

Yoh leading off in the top of the ninth

Yoh at second after doubling

Scoreboard after Aklinski's grand slam - it can't do double digits for runs in an inning

Post-game fireworks as Steve and I left the park

Lastly I thought I'd share a scan of the card that Yoh autographed for me before.  It was his 2006 BBM 1st Version rookie card when he was still going by the name Chung-Shou Yang:

His signature doesn't appear to have changed much in the past seven and half years.