West Michigan Whitecaps shut out TinCaps on opening day
COMSTOCK PARK - West Michigan Whitecaps manager Brayan Pena said it felt light he was at a disco club on Thursday night as the team showed off its new flashing colored stadium lights during the seventh-inning stretch.
“I love it,” said Pena, who begins his third season with the Whitecaps. “I love the fact that the Whitecaps make sure our fans and players have a great atmosphere. For us to see the disco-type lights, it says that the Whitecaps have listened to our fans. It’s already a great place to bring the family, but it’s going to be more beautiful with all the new improvements.”
West Michigan beat the Fort Wayne TinCaps 1-0 on Thursday on opening day.
They got a solo home run from outfielder Ben Malgeri in the bottom of the second inning. The ball barely stayed fair down the left field line.
“To be honest, I thought it was going to hook foul off the bat,” Balgeri said. “But it kept going. So it was a good feeling when it went out.”
The 23-year-old from New Hampshire had just four home runs in 112 games last year with the Whitecaps. But he hopes to hit more this year.
“It’s something I’ve been working on,” he said. “I’m hoping to see a lot more of that out of myself.”
Starting pitcher Wilkel Hernandez threw four scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and striking out four.
“It was great to see the way he attacked hitters,” Pena said. “That’s what we want. He gave us a chance to get into our bullpen. So he did his job.”
Reliever Blake Holub got the win after pitching a scoreless fifth inning. He was one of five relief pitchers who blanked Fort Wayne on a chilly first game.
“That’s the goal,” Pena said. “Just pass the torch. We believe our guys are ready to go and have something special to bring to the team every night.”
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The offense only had three hits, however. Jace Jung, the No. 3 prospect in the Detroit Tigers minor league system, started at second base and went 0-for-4, striking out three times.
But it didn’t seem to matter after the game when the team had the music blasting in the clubhouse and the fans were watching post-game fireworks while the new colored lights flashed.
“I loved it,” Balgeri said of the lights. “When I saw the lights flashing on and off toward the end of the game, it was really cool. I love the vibe that it gives off.”
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: West Michigan Whitecaps shut out TinCaps on opening day
