Fogelberg – The Boggstown Boilers opened up KCBL play with a 3 game sweep on the road over the Fogelberg Falcons, as Jack McKeon couldn’t have hoped for a better beginning to the season.
In a league that looked like it would yield some of the more potent teams offensively in quite some time, the Boilers were able to muster the wins while averaging a modest 13 runs per game. McKeon was forced to lean heavily on his bullpen in all three games. In a combine 10.1 innings, the Boilers’ bullpen only gave up three runs, preserving victories for Robin Roberts and Charlie Hough. In Game 3, Jim Rooker picked up the win in relief as the Boilers mounted an unlikely rally in the 9th inning, plating a total of 9 runs after facing a 7-3 deficit.
“We were fortunate”, exhaled McKeon through a cloud of cigar smoke. “We jumped out early the first two games and then just kind of went brain dead. Their pitchers were great tonight. We were dead in the water in Game 3. I didn’t even think a Chilean earthquake could shake us out of that slumber, but for some reason we were finally able to string together some quality at-bats in the 9th. I feel like Houdini after that escape.”
The Boilers got consistent offensive pressure from the top of their lineup. The 1-4 hitters all boasted an OBP of over .630, while George Brett led the way by gathering 11 hits for a .688 batting average. “Those guys will level out, but we really need our 5-7 to step it up”, explained McKeon. “We can’t just sit back and wait for four guys to play out of their ass day in and day out. Kiner was basically a spectator those three games. He’s a guy that we really need some production out of if we’re going to keep with the offenses in this league.”
The next American League series features the Boilers hosting the Crawdads, while the National League will open up with the Merrimack Owls visiting the McCall Mudhens.
