Calhoun debuts, helps RailRiders clip Wings
May 3—MOOSIC — All Kole Calhoun did in his first two innings in a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre uniform was throw out a runner at the plate and single home a run with two outs.
For a RailRiders team coming off a two-week roadtrip where they won just three games, it was a welcomed bit of energy.
The former Gold Glove-winning outfielder knocked in an insurance run with a double in the eighth inning, starter Tanner Tully allowed just one run and the RailRiders opened a two-week homestand with a 3-1 win over the Rochester Red Wings at a chilly PNC Field on Tuesday night.
"Make my teammates think I'm good. I set the bar way too high," the 35-year-old Calhoun joked.
"They're going to be expecting way too much in the coming days."
Calhoun, who has nearly 1,200 games of major league experience under his belt — most coming over eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels — was without a job after he opted out of a deal with the Seattle Mariners after spring training. He played 125 games for the Texas Rangers in 2022 and batted .196 with a .587 OPS, then had a .685 OPS across 35 at-bats with Seattle this spring.
The offers for the next job didn't come pouring in, so when the New York Yankees called, he jumped at the chance. He signed a minor league deal April 20 and had been getting back up to game speed at the team's minor league complex in Tampa.
"Excited about the opportunity," he said. "Storied franchise like this one, it's already been pretty cool to be a part of."
When the offer came, Calhoun said he didn't put much thought into the current major league situation in New York, where injuries have ravaged a roster that already was struggling on offense. He just wasn't ready to hang 'em up yet.
"This is what I love to do," he said. "This is what I've always loved to do. I didn't think I was done yet. I think I've made some strides in the offseason to get back to the player that I was. I want to put my best foot forward and see if I can give this thing another shot."
He made a good first impression.
Facing hard-throwing Rochester starter Joan Adon, the RailRiders (11-17) got on the board in the first inning when Andrés Chaparro shot a line drive to the right-field corner for his first triple since 2019, scoring Elijah Dunham from first. Calhoun then jumped on a breaking ball and lined it into right for a single and a 2-0 lead.
"Just the little bit of momentum is huge, especially early in the game," RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan said. "Gives everybody just a little boost. Put up multiple runs in the first. Just having one run, you feel a little bit, you don't feel as much, but when you get two runs, that's a good feeling."
Rochester (9-17) got one of the runs back in the top of the second when Pottsville native Travis Blankenhorn doubled with one out. With two down, Kevin Plawecki singled him home, starting a run of three consecutive base hits by the Red Wings. On the third one, a single to left by Darren Baker, Plawecki attempted to score from second, but Calhoun fielded the ball quickly and unleashed a perfect throw to catcher Ben Rortvedt, who had plenty of time to scoop it up and apply the inning-ending tag.
"Kole's a very, very solid, fundamental baseball player, and he's fun to watch," Duncan said.
It was the first of two runners the RailRiders cut down at the plate. In the sixth, after Tully exited with a runner on third and one out, Jake Alu broke on contact when Chad Pinder hit a grounder toward the middle, but second baseman Wilmer Difo was there to glove it and throw home for the out.
Tully avoided trouble for most of the night, at one point retiring eight in a row. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four to pick up his second win.
"Tully's got one of those things where his fastball, his stuff moves just enough to miss the barrels and gets hitters off balance," Duncan said.
Relievers Aaron McGarity, Colten Brewer and Matt Bowman combined to allow just one hit and one walk the rest of the way. McGarity fanned three of six hitters he faced.
Contact the writer:
570-348-9125;
@RailRidersTT on Twitter
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.
User Legend: iconModeratoriconTrusted User
