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Amarillo Sod Poodles Inaugural Season Summary

Amarillo Sod Poodles outfielder Edward Olivares (11) before the game against the Tulsa Drillers during the Texas League Championship on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, at OneOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [Photo by John Moore/Amarillo Sod Poodles] (Photo by John Moore)
September 24, 2019

COMPLETE 2019 INAUGURAL SEASON NOTESA Storybook Ending: The Amarillo Sod Poodles captured their first-ever Texas League Championship in their inaugural season after defeating the Tulsa Drillers in five games. In-game five at ONEOK Field, the Sod Poodles trailed the Drillers 3-1 heading to the ninth inning. After loading the bases Taylor

COMPLETE 2019 INAUGURAL SEASON NOTES
A Storybook Ending: The Amarillo Sod Poodles captured their first-ever Texas League Championship in their inaugural season after defeating the Tulsa Drillers in five games. In-game five at ONEOK Field, the Sod Poodles trailed the Drillers 3-1 heading to the ninth inning. After loading the bases Taylor Trammell hit a go-ahead grand slam to give the Soddies a 5-3 advantage. Amarillo extended to an 8-3 lead after Hudson Potts hit a three-run home run. Reliever Travis Radke closed the game out for the Sod Poodles retiring the side in order to give Amarillo it's first Texas League championship in 43 years.
Regular Season Recap: The Sod Poodles completed their inaugural season as a franchise with a 72-66 team record (.521), marking the sixth season since 2009 where the Padres Double-A affiliate finished above .500. Overall, the team batted .262 over 138 games with 1,220 hits, 229 doubles, 22 triples, 139 home runs, 613 RBI, 440 walks, 1,128 strikeouts, and 119 stolen bases.
Postseason Recap: The Sod Poodles played a total of 10 postseason games in their inaugural season, defeating the Midland RockHounds in five games in the South Division Championship Series and the Tulsa Drillers in five games in the Texas League Championship Series. Amarillo faced an 0-2 deficit after dropping the first two games to Midland at HODGETOWN, but rebounded and won three straight games on the road. The Sod Poodles split the first two games with Tulsa at HODGETOWN, taking game one 13-6 and falling in game two 18-9. Tulsa took game three by a final of 2-0 to take a 2-1 advantage in the series. Facing elimination in game four, the Sod Poodles won, shutting out the Drillers 3-0 to push the series to a winner-take-all game five. A late-lead change and 8-3 victory in game five gave Amarillo a Texas League Championship in its inaugural season. Amarillo outscored Tulsa 33-29 in the series.
72 Wins: The Sod Poodles ended their inaugural regular season with 72 total wins - the fourth-most in the Texas League in 2019.
56 Inaugural Players: In the Sod Poodles inaugural season, they welcomed 56 different players - 21 total position players and 35 total pitchers.
Series Totals:  The Sod Poodles had 41 total series in the 2019 season, in which they went 19-18-4 (Win-Loss-Split).  They completed three series sweeps and were swept three times by opponents. 
Over 400K: In 74 total home games in 2019, the Sod Poodles welcomed over 400,000 fans. Overall in the regular season, Amarillo's community gathering place saw a total of 427,791 fans. Amarillo ranked second in attendance in all of Double-A and 24th in all of Minor League Baseball. Mixed with the four playoff games, HODGETOWN saw a grand total of 449,417 fans. HODGETOWN hosted 23 consecutive sellouts and 40 overall in it's inaugural season in downtown Amarillo. 
Top Attendance: The Sod Poodles saw 7,451 fans flood into HODGETOWN on July 4th which marked the largest crowd in HODGETOWN history. The second-largest attendance came on Saturday, June 29 with 7,386 in attendance. The third-largest was on Father's Day, June 16 with 7,329 fans. On Opening Day, April 8th, HODGETOWN welcomed the first-ever 7,175 fans to a home game.   
Home vs. Road: Amarillo fared well at home in 2019, finishing the regular season at 10 games above .500 at 39-29 (.573). On the road, the squad finished just below .500 at 33-37 (.471). In the postseason, the Sod Poodles went 1-3 at home and 5-1 on the road.
Against The South: The Sod Poodles held a winning record against every team in the South Division except the Corpus Christi Hooks, who they tied with at 13-13. Amarillo finished six games over Midland at 18-12 and three games over Frisco at 16-13.
Against The North: Amarillo finished the 2019 season with a winning record against two of the four North Division teams: 8-6 against Northwest Arkansas and 7-6 against Springfield. The Sod Poodles finished with losing records with the Tulsa Drillers at 5-9 and the Arkansas Travelers at 6-7.
First Half Summary: The Sod Poodles completed their first half with an even 34-34 record and clinched the South Division, but barely. After losses by Midland and Corpus Christi, a canceled game in Frisco, and a victory for Amarillo in the second-to-last day of the half on Sunday, June 16, the Sod Poodles sat a half-game behind first-place Midland in the Texas League South with one game remaining. On June 17 in Northwest Arkansas, the Sod Poodles won 8-2 while Midland was shutout by Springfield 3-0 to give Amarillo the first playoff bid in the South Division.
Second Half Summary: The Sod Poodles completed their second half of the season with a 38-32 record and finished second behind Midland, who secured a second-half clinch in the late goings after Amarillo led the division from July 25 until the final two days of the season.
Back In The Saddle: Before the 2019 season, Amarillo went 37 years without an affiliated, professional baseball organization. The last Amarillo team was also a part of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres - the Amarillo Gold Sox from 1976 to 1982. The Gold Sox won the league title in 1976 with a record of 82-53 under manager Bob Miller.
At The Helm: On January 10, the Amarillo Sod Poodles announced that Phillip Wellman would serve as the team's manager for the inaugural 2019 season. The 2019 season marked Wellman's fourth season with the San Diego Padres organization, with the previous three seasons managing the San Antonio Missions. His 2019 staff included pitching coach Jimmy Jones, hitting coach, Raul Padron, coach Freddy Flores, athletic trainers Nick Coberly and Drew Garner, strength & conditioning coach Drew Heithoff, and video coordinator Clinton Sewell.
Top 30: The Amarillo Sod Poodles Opening Day roster featured seven of the San Diego Padres Top-30 prospects according to MLB.com. They were: No. 7 Adrian Morejon, No. 15 Hudson Potts, No. 17 Buddy Reed, No. 23 Edward Olivares, No. 24 Andres Munoz, No. 26 Owen Miller, and No. 29 Reggie Lawson.
Number One: The San Diego Padres were rated with the number one farm system by MLB.com for the 2019 season. The Padres had ten players in their organization that were list in MLB.com's top 100 prospects to start the year: No.2 Fernando Tatis Jr., SS; No.15 MacKenzie Gore, LHP; No.23 Luis Urías, INF; No.26 Francisco Mejía, C, OF; No.34 Chris Paddack, RHP; No.48 Luis Patiño, RHP; No.49 Adrian Morejon, LHP;  No.72 Michel Baez, RHP; No.74 Logan Allen, LHP; and No.93 Ryan Weathers, LHP.
Amarillo Championship History: Prior to 2019, Amarillo claimed three league titles in its long history of professional baseball (1948 Gold Sox (Class C Team) - 84-56 finish, Manager Buck "Leakey" Fausett; 1952 Gold Sox (Class C Team) - 70-70 finish, Managers Pat McLaughlin, John "Monk" Webb, Ted Clawitter; 1976 Gold Sox (AA - Padres) - 81-54 finish, Manager Bob Miller. 
Perfect In Elimination Games: The Sod Poodles faced elimination five times in the 2019 postseason and were victorious in all five games. Amarillo faced elimination three games in a row in the Texas League South Division Championship Series against Midland and in the final two games in the Texas League Championship Series against Tulsa. 
First Timers: Amarillo became the fourth franchise in modern-day history to win the Texas League Championship Series in their inaugural season in the Texas League. The first to do so was the Amarillo Gold Sox in 1976 followed by the Beaumont Golden Gators in 1983, and most recently, the Round Rock Express in 2000.
Top 10 Worthy: Amarillo right-handed pitcher Ronald Bolaños made another franchise moment, turning one of the most unique and one-of-a-kind double plays on August 18 against Frisco at HODGETOWN which was featured as the number one highlight on Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day. With no outs and one on, Bolaños delivered a groundball to RoughRiders' Tony Sanchez. On the grounder back to the mound, Bolaños picked it up while falling to the ground, tossed a strike while on his back to second baseman Ivan Castillo, who then completed the double play to Ruddy Giron at first base.  
High/Low: The Sod Poodles posted single-game season highs of 15 runs in a game, 8 runs in an inning, 18 hits in a game, and five home runs as a team in one game. On the opposite end, Amarillo was held to a low of two hits in a game on three separate occasions.
Sod Poodles All-Stars: Amarillo sent eight players to the 2019 Texas League All-Star game in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June: Owen Miller (SS), Luis Torrens (C), Ivan Castillo (2B), Edward Olivares (RF) Kyle Overstreet (UTIL), Emmanuel Ramirez (P), Travis Radke (P), and David Bednar (P). The Sod Poodles also had four players named to the Post-Season All-Star roster: Luis Torrens (C), Ivan Castillo (2B), Edward Olivares (OF), and Lake Bachar (P).
Hitting Stats: The Sod Poodles finished the 2019 season as one of the best offensive teams in all of Double-A baseball. Amarillo finished first in all of Double-A with 1220 hits and second with a .262 batting average. The Sod Poodles finished 3rd in Double-A with 613 RBI and fourth in the Texas League with 139 home runs. The team, however, also finished with 1308 strikeouts, which ranked third in all of Double-A baseball.                                                 
Amarillo To San Diego: The Amarillo Sod Poodles had six players make their Major League debut during the 2019 season: RHP Pedro Avila, RHP Andres Munoz, RHP Michel Baez, LHP Adrian Morejon, RHP David Bednar, and RHP Ronald Bolaños. The team had a total of eleven major league call ups throughout the 2019 season. Others included: RHP Kazuhisa Makita, LHP Nick Margevicius, RHP Javy Guerra, RHP Trey Wingenter, and Catcher Luis Torrens.
Texas League Batting Champ: Ivan Castillo led the Sod Poodles and was crowned the Texas League batting champion after finishing his regular season with a .313 average (135-for-432). The Soddies infielder finished tied for second with 30 doubles, tied for fourth with 135 hits, and tied for sixth with 43 extra-base hits.
Starting Arms: Throughout the 2019 season, Sod Poodles starters collectively compiled a 39-42 record with 36 quality starts.  They threw a total of 667.2 innings, allowing 369 total runs (330 of which were earned), gave up 91 homers, allowed 241 walks, struck out 674 batters, and posted a 4.45 ERA on the season. 
Out of the Pen: Sod Poodles relievers compiled a 33-24 record in 2019, with 38 saves in 48 opportunities. Collectively they pitched 548.2 innings out of the pen, allowing 548 hits, 318 runs (271 of which were earned), and 69 homers while allowing 209 free passes and striking out 634 for a 4.45 ERA.
Versus Left/Versus Right: Amarillo finished the 2019 season going 16-12 against southpaws while they went 55-55 against right-handers. Collectively, the team batted .259 against righties and .277 against lefties.
Comeback Kids: The eight-run comeback on May 26 against Midland resulting in a 13-8 victory for Amarillo was the largest deficit faced of 2019 for the Sod Poodles. Following a nearly two-hour delay which started after the third inning, Amarillo faced an 8-0 deficit. In the fourth, the Soddies plated their first run of the game and then went on to score 12 unanswered runs - six in each of the fifth and sixth innings - to secure the 13-8 win.
Transactions: Amarillo had 142 transactions during the 2019 inaugural season as the San Diego Padres Double-A affiliate. Last season, the San Antonio Missions had just 83 transactions.
Weekly Award Winners: Amarillo had seven total players win Player or Pitcher of the Week awards in 2019. The Sod Poodles had four Player of the Week awards (OF Buddy Reed, OF Edward Olivares, INF Owen Miller (twice), INF Ivan Castillo) and two pitchers named Texas League Pitchers of the Week (LHP Adrian Morejon and RHP Lake Bachar). Bachar and Castillo swept the weekly awards for the week of July 15-21, marking the first and only sweep by a Texas League team in 2019.
Day Games Are Good: The Sod Poodles finished the 2019 regular season with a 12-8 record (.600) and a 2-0 record in the postseason when playing day games. In night games, they finished two games above .500 at 60-58 (.508) and 2-2 in the postseason.
When Trailing/Leading in Games: The Sod Poodles held a record of 55-5 record when leading after six innings and a 9-52 record when trailing after six innings. When leading after seven innings, Amarillo held a record of 56-3 and a 6-57 record when trailing after seven innings. After eight innings when leading, the Sod Poodles held a record of 62-2 and 4-7 when trailing after eight innings.
Run Differential: Amarillo finished the regular season with a -23 run differential. Opponents outscored the Sod Poodles 687 to 664.  
Walkoff Dingers: The Sod Poodles belted four walk-off home runs in the regular season. Two home runs in the 9th inning (Zunica 5/24, Reed 8/28) while the other two happened in the 11th inning (Potts 5/3, Miller 7/22).
Three In One: On May 5, Edward Olivares became the first Sod Poodles player in franchise history to record a three-home run game at HODGETOWN. In the game, he hit an inside-the-park home run, a two-run homer, and a solo home run.
Long Ball King: Edward Olivares led the 2019 Sod Poodles with 18 home runs in their inaugural season. Olivares hit nine solo home runs, eight two-run home runs, and one three-run home run.
Pinch-Hit Home Runs: The Sod Poodles hit two pinch-hit home runs during the 2019 season (Peter Van Gansen 6/20 @ Tulsa and Luis Torrens 7/18 vs. Springfield).
Free Baseball: Amarillo finished with a 4-6 record in extra-inning games in the 2019 season. The Sod Poodles faced the Corpus Christi Hooks three times in extra-inning games, which was the most against any team the Sod Poodles faced.
You're Outta Here: Amarillo had four ejections during the 2019 season. Phillip Wellman was ejected three times for arguing balls and strikes. Buddy Reed was ejected once for arguing balls and strikes. On the other end, Arkansas faced three ejections on May 4 in game one of the four-game set. In the fourth inning, designated hitter Jake Fraley was ejected by home plate umpire Brian Walsh followed by Travelers Manager directly after for arguing. Then, in the eighth, Arkansas outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams was ejected for arguing at the plate.
Start To Finish: The Sod Poodles finished their inaugural season with 15 active members of the original roster that was revealed on April 1: RHP Elliot Ashbeck, RHP Lake Bachar, RHP Kyle Lloyd, RHP Emmanuel Ramirez, RHP Blake Rogers, RHP Jesse Scholtens, RHP Dauris Valdez, C Luis Torrens, INF Owen Miller, UTIL Kyle Overstreet, INF Hudson Potts, INF Peter Van Gansen, INF Brad Zunica, OF Edward Olivares, and OF Buddy Reed.
1,216 Wins: In his 20th year managing, Sod Poodles skipper Phillip Wellman reached 1,216 wins in the 2019 season. Wellman reached the 1,200 win mark on July 31st with a 3-2 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He currently sits 13th in total wins among active MiLB managers. His managerial career began in 1992 with the Baltimore Orioles Gulf Coast League affiliate. He also managed Winston-Salem (Cincinnati Reds High-A) of the Carolina League (1996), Burington (Cincinnati Class A) of the Midwest League (1997-98), Chattanooga (Cincinnati AA) of the Southern League (1999, 2001-2003), Mississippi (Atlanta AA) of the Southern League (2007-2010) and Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim AA) of the Texas League (2014). He spent the 2016-2018 seasons as the manager of the San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres AA), before being transferred to Amarillo with the change in affiliate locations.
Pitchers Who Rake: Amarillo pitchers batted .177 (11-for-62) in 2019 with seven RBI combined and two doubles by Blake Rogers and T.J. Weir. Other pitchers to record a hit, which was the first of the professional careers, were Andres Munoz, Emmanuel Ramirez, MacKenzie Gore, Lake Bachar, Ronald Bolaños, and Jesse Scholtens.
Position Players Pitching: Amarillo had five position players pitch in games this season: INF Brad Zunica, INF Peter Van Gansen, Catcher A.J. Kennedy, INF Ruddy Giron, INF Chris Baker. Position players didn't allow a run through seven innings of work. Chris Baker was the first position player to make a pitching appearance for the Sod Poodles on April 14 against Corpus Christi.      
Best MiLB Team Name: In March, Fox Sports MLB ran a March Madness bracket for fans to vote for the best Minor League Baseball team name. The Sod Poodles defeated the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the first round to advance to the second round where they faced off against the Chattanooga Lookouts and fellow newcomer to MiLB, the Rocket City Trash Pandas. The Sod Poodles had a late surge of votes to allow them to make the Elite Eight. The Sod Poodles would cruise past the Hartford Yardgoats in the Elite Eight and Lansing Lugnuts during the final four matchups. In the Championship round, the Sod Poodles faced off against the Padres Triple-A affiliate, the El Paso Chihuahuas, where the Sod Poodles were crowned Champions by a two percent margin. 
Flores' Roots Run Deep in the Yellow City: Freddy Flores joined the Amarillo coaching staff for his first season as fielding coach and third with the Padres, previously serving in the same capacity for Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore. The New Mexico native played independent league baseball from 1997 to 2000 and, at the same time, was working as an assistant coach for the softball team at Western New Mexico University. In 2002, he became the head coach and held the capacity through 2007. Flores returned to professional baseball in 2008, playing for another eight seasons including time as a player-coach with the Abilene Prairie Dogs (2012, North American League), Amarillo Sox (2013, American Association), and Amarillo Thunderheads (2015, American Association) before retiring in 2016.
History Made: Both Owen Miller and Brad Zunica made franchise history for the Amarillo Sod Poodles. In the sixth inning of the 2019 season opener in Corpus Christi on April 4, shortstop Miller notched the first-ever hit in a Sod Poodles uniform (single to right field). Then, in the seventh inning of the game, Zunica belted a home run to left field to mark the first long ball in franchise history.
Opening Day Record: After an Opening Day loss to the Corpus Christi Hooks, Phillip Wellman's Opening Day record fell to 1-3 as a manager with the San Diego Padres organization. Wellman's teams fell to 1-2 when opening the season on the road with his only victory coming in the 2017 season opener against Northwest Arkansas by a score of 4-0.
History in the Making: On April 5, the Sod Poodles won 7-5 at Whataburger Field to mark the first team victory in Amarillo Sod Poodles history. Blake Rogers collected the win while Andres Munoz got the save.
Baseball Is Back: On April 8, the Amarillo Sod Poodles and Midland RockHounds marked the first affiliated baseball game in Amarillo in 37 years since the 1982 Amarillo Gold Sox. In the 1982 season, the Gold Sox posted a record of 61-74 with one tie.
Amarillo Home Opener Record: The attendance record for a Texas League home opener in Amarillo was broken on April 8 in the first-ever game at HODGETOWN when 7,175 fans filled the ballpark. The record stood at 7,103 and was set on April 18, 1978. In the home opener, the Gold Sox defeated the San Antonio Dodgers by a score of 3-2.
50 Years To the Date: The Sod Poodles home opener at HODGETOWN on April 8, 2019, was 50 years (18,262 days) to the date when the Padres hosted their first-ever game in San Diego on April 8, 1969.
Once A Padre, Always A Padre: Amarillo became San Diego's second-ever Double-A affiliate spanning from 1976 to 1982 (seven seasons). The Gold Sox won the Texas League title in the first season as the Padres affiliate in 1976 and included notable names such as Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, Mark Thurmond, Andy Hawkins, and Dave Dravecky.
Opening Weeks to Remember: Sod Poodles first baseman Brad Zunica and outfielder Buddy Reed started their 2019 seasons on a tear. In the first five games of the season, Zunica went 8-for-17 with three home runs, five RBI, and three walks. In the first homestand in Amarillo, Reed batted .357 (10-for-28) with 9 runs, six home runs, 13 RBI, four walks, and a stolen base.
Welcome Home: The Sod Poodles collected their first-ever home victory on the season after defeating the Midland RockHounds in their second-ever game at HODGETOWN by a score of 8-2 Tuesday, April 9th. Emmanuel Ramirez notched the win in front of over 5,700 fans.
Sod Poodles First Call Up: Pedro Avila became the first Amarillo Sod Poodles player to be called up to the Majors. The 22-year-old right-hander made his first Major League start against Arizona.
All Nine: The Sod Poodles played in four games where all nine batters in the starting line up recorded a hit. (5/5 vs. Arkansas, 6/30 vs. Corpus Christi, 7/4 vs. Frisco, 8/30 vs. Arkansas). Oppositely, catcher Luis Torrens was the lone player on June 27 against Corpus Christi to record a hit for the squad.
First Series Won: The Sod Poodles earned their first series victory as a franchise against Corpus Christi three games to one after falling in the first two of the 2019 campaign (@ Corpus Christi, vs. Midland).
WALK-OFF: The Amarillo Sod Poodles walked off the Springfield Cardinals Friday, May 3rd in the 11th inning when Hudson Potts blasted a two-run home run to deep right field to give the Sod Poodles the 6-5 victory. The walk-off was the first-ever in franchise history, as well as the first-ever extra-innings win.
All Zeroes: The Sod Poodles earned their first shutout as a franchise Thursday, May 2nd at HODGETOWN with a 1-0 victory over the Springfield Cardinals. Over the regular season, the Sod Poodles earned eight shutout victories and were shutout by opponents a total of five times.
Best Double-A Ballpark: On June 26, HODGETOWN was named as Ballpark Digest's 2019 Best Double-A Ballpark. HODGETOWN was voted over Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, in the final round by a 53-47% margin. The 30-team Double-A online voting was started in late May combining Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks.
Rare Occurrence: On Thursday, May 2, it marked the first time the Sod Poodles were victorious in a one-run margin game. Amarillo finished the season with 20 one-run wins in their inaugural season.
Rehabbers: Amarillo hosted three Major League rehabbers throughout their inaugural campaign: RHP Miguel Diaz, INF Fernando Tatis Jr., and RHP Jacob Nix. Diaz made four rehab starts and pitched in six games total with the Sod Poodles. Tatis played in two games with Amarillo, batting .400 (2-for-5) with three walks and a stolen base. Nix made two postseason starts for Amarillo.
Inside-the-Park Homers: The Sod Poodles collected three inside-the-park home runs in 2019. The first of the season came off the bat of Buddy Reed on April 12 versus Corpus Christi at HODGETOWN. Edward Olivares collected HODGETOWN's second inside-the-park home run Sunday, May 5th in game two against Arkansas while Kyle Overstreet marked the third on July 16 against Springfield which was the first and only inside-the-park grand slam in HODGETOWN history and in the Texas League in 2019.
Rain Drop: On Monday, May 6, the Sod Poodles third game with Arkansas was postponed due to heavy rain and high wind, sending the teams into a doubleheader on Tuesday, which was eventually canceled before gates opened due to severe weather in the area. The canceled games were the first and only lost games for Amarillo in 2019. The Sod Poodles and Travelers game one on Saturday, May 4 was also threatened by rain and lightning, sending the contest into a 2:02 delay. It was the first game postponement and longest delay at HODGETOWN.
That One Stung: On May 13, the Sod Poodles dropped their first game of the season when leading after eight innings. Coming into that night, the squad was 13-0 when leading after eight innings in a game. The team finished with a 62-2 record in the category.
104 on the gun: Flamethrower Andres Munoz tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning on May 15th. His final fastball on the gun was clocked at 104 MPH before he struck out Greg Deichmann with an 85 MPH slider. His final two fastballs came in at 103 and 104 MPH respectively which were the two fastest pitches ever recorded at HODGETOWN.
Amarillo by Morning: The Sod Poodles played their first-ever morning game in HODGETOWN history on Wednesday, May 22 against the Corpus Christi Hooks when Amarillo won 7-6 in front of an announced attendance of 5,146.  
Home Robbery: Buddy Reed stole home in the eighth inning on Friday, May 24 against the RockHounds. The steal was part of a double steal as Rodrigo Orozco stole second base. The stolen base was the only steal of home for the Sod Poodles in 2019.
Breakout The Brooms: The Amarillo Sod Poodles completed a four-game sweep of the Midland RockHounds Sunday, May 26 with a 13-8 comeback victory. This was the first time Amarillo had swept an opponent in team history.
Twin-Bill Sweep: On Thursday, May 30 the Sod Poodles had their first-ever doubleheader in franchise history, taking place in Frisco at Dr. Pepper Ballpark due to a postponed game the night prior due to weather. The Sod Poodles swept Frisco in the twin bill taking game one 4-1 in seven innings and game two 3-0 in eight innings (extras).
Futures Call: Amarillo Sod Poodles southpaw and Padres' number six-rated prospect (MLB.com) Adrian Morejon was selected to the National League roster for the 2019 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which was played on Sunday, July 7th at Progressive Field in Cleveland, marking the first Sod Poodles Futures call. Morejon was one of three San Diego Padres' Minor League pitching prospects selected to the roster. The other two included number two-rated prospect (MLB.com) Mackenzie Gore and number nine-rated prospect (MLB.com) and Colombia native Luis Patiño. Morejon tossed one inning (Bot 6) and allowed two hits with no runs allowed. North Carolina native Gore started for the National League on the mound with a scoreless and hitless inning, and Patiño got out of a jam in relief in the bottom of the seventh and tossed a scoreless eighth in extras to end the game in a 2-2 tie.
All-Star Game Review: Luis Torrens started at catcher (0-3, 2 K), Ivan Castillo started at second base (1-3, K), Owen Miller started at shortstop (1-3, 2B), Edward Olivares started in right field (1-3, BB), and Kyle Overstreet started at first base (0-2, 2 BB). RHP Emmanuel Ramirez was named the starting pitcher for the South division and tossed one inning, allowing one hit, no runs, and collecting a strikeout. LHP Travis Radke tossed one inning in relief and didn't allow a hit while David Bednar went one-third of an inning and didn't allow a hit. Amarillo's manager Phillip Wellman along with his team staff were at the helm of the 2019 Texas League South Division All-Star Roster since the Padres Double-A affiliate in San Antonio were South Division Champions in 2018. The South Division won by a final score of 5-1.
Monthly Recap: Amarillo completed the month of April with a 10-15 (.400) record, 16-11 (.592) record in May, 12-14 (.461) record in June, a best 18-10 (.642) record in July, 15-15 (.500) in August, and 1-1 (.500) record in September.
The Chicken: The Famous Chicken, also historically known as the "San Diego Chicken", appeared in Amarillo for the first time in years to perform at HODGETOWN during the Sod Poodles Wednesday, July 17 game when they faced off against the Springfield Cardinals. Presented by the Downtown Athletic Club, the Famous Chicken was seen during multiple inning breaks throughout the night and also signed autographs for every single fan who lined up following the game.
Last Time There Was Fireworks: The last time baseball was played on Independence Day in Amarillo before 2019 was in 2015 when the Amarillo Thunderheads and Wichita Wingnuts faced off at Potter County Memorial Stadium. The Thunderheads defeated the Wingnuts by a final score of 5-4 as outfielder Stefan Gartrell hit a walk-off home run.
It's GOre Time: MLB's No. 3-rated prospect and the San Diego Padres' No. 1-rated prospect (according to MLB.com), left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore was promoted to Double-A Amarillo from High-A Lake Elsinore on July 9. Gore, 20, was drafted in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2017 MLB draft out of Whiteville High School in North Carolina and started the 2019 season with High-A Lake Elsinore. Over 15 starts with the Storm, he held a 7-1 record with a 1.02 ERA over 79.1 innings pitched. He allowed just 36 hits, nine earned runs and 20 walks with 110 strikeouts. He made his Double-A debut with Amarillo in Frisco on July 13 where he also recorded his first Double-A victory and finished going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA over five bids.
Reed Belts From Both Sides: Buddy Reed became the first Sod Poodles player ever to hit home runs from both sides of the plate on July 14 in Frisco. His first home run in the contest was from the left side, a solo shot to right field in the third inning. His second home run came in the eighth inning from the right side of the plate.
That Just Happened: In the seventh inning on Tuesday, July 16, Kyle Overstreet hit an inside-the-park grand slam. The grand slam was the first in franchise history and Overstreet's second career grand slam. Overstreet's last grand slam was of the walk-off verity coming on May 5th, 2018 against the Corpus Christi Hooks to complete a five-run ninth-inning comeback victory.
Five Straight: The Sod Poodles set a high win-streak of five games in 2019. The first five-game win streak came between May 22 and May 26 when they defeated the Hooks in their series finale then swept the RockHounds in four straight games. They tied a season-high by winning their fifth straight on July 16 against the Cardinals.
Straight Gas: On July 18, Sod Poodles reliever Dauris Valdez tossed two scoreless innings where he struck out three Cardinal batters. Nine of Valdez's 27 pitches hit 100 plus miles per hour with two of those nine pitches topping out at 101 miles per hour.
Morejon, The Kid: At 20 years and 144 days old, LHP Adrian Morejon marked the 2nd-youngest Padre to make his pitching debut, behind just Jay Franklin (was 18 years, 172 days on Sept. 4, 1971), and was the youngest Padre pitcher to make his MLB debut in a start since Clay Kirby (20 years, 290 days) on April 11, 1969. The list of the youngest Padres to debut are as follows: Brian Geer (18 years, 122 days), Jay Franklin (18 years, 172 days), Mike Ivie (19 years, 27 days), Roberto Alomar (20 years, 77 days), Fernando Tatis Jr. (20 years, 85 days), Adrian Morejon (20 years, 144 days), Andres Muñoz (20 years, 177 days), Jim Beswick (20 years, 178 days). [Per Padres].
Major Power: Taylor Featherston hit three home runs against Amarillo pitching on Saturday, July 20 at HODGETOWN. Featherston's three home runs comprised a solo, two-run, and three-run home runs. On September 11 in game two of the Texas League Championship Series at HODGETOWN, Tulsa's Jeter Downs collected three home runs of his own. Featherston's and Downs' three home runs mark the most by an individual against the Sod Poodles in a single game.
50 Wins: The Sod Poodles reached their 50th win in their inaugural season with a 7-0 shutout victory on Sunday, July 21 against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Sniper: The Sod Poodles pitching staff picked off one base runner in every game of their four-game series against the Naturals between July 19 and July 22.
19 Straight for Castillo: Ivan Castillo marked the longest hit-streak in 2019 for Amarillo and the franchise. His 19-game hit streak was snapped on July 24 at Springfield. During his hit streak, which was ranked the second-longest in all of the Texas League and Double-A in 2019, he went 29-for-81 with 12 R, seven 2B, 19 RBI, three BB, three HR.
When The Eventual Hero Was Added: The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Taylor Trammell from the Cincinnati Reds as part of a three-team trade with the Cleveland Indians on July 31 and assigned him the Double-A Amarillo. In the deal, the Padres sent outfielder Franmil Reyes, left-handed pitcher Logan Allen and infielder Victor Nova to the Indians. According to MLB Pipeline, Trammell was ranked the 30th best prospect in all of baseball. He was originally selected by the Reds with the 35th overall selection in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Mount Paran Christian High School (Ga.). The 21-year-old was named MVP of the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park (2-for-2, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R) and was selected to the 2019 Futures Game in Cleveland.
Unleash Patiño: MLB's No. 33-rated prospect and the San Diego Padres' No. 4-rated prospect (according to MLB.com), right-handed pitcher Luis Patiño was promoted to Double-A Amarillo from High-A Lake Elsinore on August 7. Patiño, 19, was signed as an international free agent by Padres on July 2, 2016, and started the 2019 season with High-A Lake Elsinore. Over 17 starts with the Storm, he held a 6-8 record with a 2.69 ERA over 87.0 innings pitched. He allowed just 61 hits, 26 earned runs and 34 walks with 113 strikeouts and holds a Minor League career record of 16-13 over 46 game starts with a 2.39 ERA. In his Double-A debut, he tossed four and two-thirds innings and allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. Overall, he finished going 0-0 with a 1.17 ERA over two starts.
Among The Best in Baseball: The Soddies finished the season with three of MLB's top 100 prospects according to MLB.com: #3 MacKenzie Gore, #30 Taylor Trammell, and #33 Luis Patiño.
Bachar Strong Night: On Saturday, August 17, the Amarillo Sod Poodles hosted "Bachar Strong" Night in support of right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar's father and his fight with cancer. On Bachar Strong Night, the Sod Poodles wore specialty, Padres throwback color-themed Sod Poodles jerseys with the phrase "No One Fights Alone" on the back and "#BacharStrong" on the sleeve. Following the game, the team hosted a live, postgame signed jersey auction with autographed Padres memorabilia graciously donated by the San Diego Padres with all proceeds benefitting the Bachar family's medical expenses.
Oil-Pan Cup Victors: In regular-season game 26 of 29 against the Midland RockHounds in 2019, the Sod Poodles claimed the season series victory with the walk-off in game one of the series to take a 15-11 advantage. Each season, Amarillo and Midland will face off for the cup.
Can't Run On Him: Catcher Luis Torrens threw out 42 of 92 base stealers in 85 regular-season games. Torrens caught stealing percentage (.456) ranked first in the Texas League. With Torrens behind the dish, the Sod Poodles finished with a 38-47 record.
In the Field: The Sod Poodles finished the 2019 season with a .982 team fielding percentage in 138 regular-season games. Amarillo only committed 92 errors which were the fourth-fewest in the Texas League.
He's Got A Cannon: Outfielder Buddy Reed collected 18 outfield assist (7 Leftfield, 9 center field, 2 right field) which led the Texas League.              
Turn Two: The Sod Poodles defense turned a single-game high of four double plays on April 27 at Arkansas. Amarillo turned a combined 99 double plays in the regular season.   
Too Many: The Amarillo defense committed four errors on June 2 at Midland which marked the most errors the Sod Poodles surrendered in a single game this season.