Yu-Min Lin Strikes Out 13, but Hops’ Bullpen Collapses
EVERETT, WASH. (June 3, 2023) --- Taiwanese left-hander Yu-Min Lin --- at age 19, the Hops’ youngest player --- dazzled on Saturday night at Everett Memorial Stadium, tying the Hops’ franchise record by recording 13 strikeouts. He left with a 6-0 lead, but the Hops’ bullpen let it slip away.
EVERETT, WASH. (June 3, 2023) --- Taiwanese left-hander Yu-Min Lin --- at age 19, the Hops’ youngest player --- dazzled on Saturday night at Everett Memorial Stadium, tying the Hops’ franchise record by recording 13 strikeouts. He left with a 6-0 lead, but the Hops’ bullpen let it slip away. Everett scored four in the sixth, two in the seventh and three in the eighth en route to a 9-6 win.
With seemingly all of his repertoire working --- and he has a wide variety of offerings --- Lin struck out the first seven batters he faced. He didn’t allow a hit until Charlie Welch doubled with one out in the fifth, after which Lin struck out his final two batters. Lin’s final line: five innings, one hit, no runs and one walk to go along with the 13 Ks. He threw just 74 pitches, 51 of them strikes.
Lin’s strikeout total matched the franchise record set by Jamison Hill last July in Eugene, and fell just one shy of the most by any pitcher in baseball this year, majors or minors (Andrew Abbott had a 14-strikeout game for the Reds’ Double-A Chattanooga affiliate in the Southern League on April 13th).
Hillsboro built a 6-0 lead in support of Lin, and probably should have had more. Josh Day had a solo home run in the second to make it 2-0, but in the third, the Hops drew three consecutive one-out walks against Aquasox starter Raul Alcantara and scored just once.
Ivan Melendez hit a long two-run home run in the fifth to put Hillsboro up 5-0. But it was the top of the sixth the Hops’ offense will really regret. Still leading 5-0, they loaded the bases with no one out against reliever Jimmy Kingsbury, and scored just once, on a Jacen Roberson RBI ground-out.
Peniel Otano came out of the Hillsboro bullpen in relief of Lin to start the bottom of the sixth. And when he issued a four-pitch walk to the number-nine hitter, Blake Rambusch, you could see it coming. Leadoff man Harry Ford followed with a single, and one out later Alberto Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Hogan Windish hit a high chopper to third. Hops third baseman Josh Day had to hurry, and his throw bounced past first baseman Melendez and down the right-field line. All three baserunners scored to cut the lead in half, and Walking Cabrera then doubled into the left-field corner to make it 6-4. After Otano struck out Charlie Welch and walked Mike Salvatore, Will Mabrey was summoned from the Hillsboro bullpen and he struck out Erik Stock to end the inning.
Mabrey, though, ran into problems of his own in the seventh. Rambusch drew another leadoff walk, Ford singled off the wall in right-center, and one out later Rodriguez (who entered the game with 31 extra-base hits, second across all of minor league baseball) blooped a double to left to score two and tie the game 6-6. Mabrey then struck out the next two hitters to keep the tie intact.
But it didn’t last long. In the bottom of the eighth, Mabrey allowed a one-out single to Salvatore. Then, with two out, Gerald Ogando replaced Mabrey. Rambusch drew another walk, bringing up Ford with runners at first and second and two down. The Mariners’ top prospect had been just 2-for-36 against Hillsboro prior to his singles in the sixth and seventh innings, and still hadn’t had an extra-base hit against the Hops all season as he came up in the eighth. Ford drove a 2-1 Gerald Ogando pitch to the opposite field in right, a three-run home run that put the Sox up 9-6.
Incredibly, Rambusch has drawn eight walks in the past three games out of Everett’s number-nine slot in the batting order… and has scored a run after seven of those eight bases on balls.
While the Hops’ bullpen struggled, Everett’s shone. Kingsbury loaded the bases with none out in the top of the sixth on a single, hit batter and walk. But after that the trio of Kingsbury, Luis Curvelo and Mike Flynn proceeded to retire the final 12 Hops in order, with seven strikeouts.
Twelve Hops and nineteen Aquasox went down on strikes. The 19 Ks matched the fifth-most by Hops pitching in a single game, and the second-most in a nine-inning contest.
Hillsboro (21-29) is in sixth place in the Northwest League 5.5 games out with 16 games remaining in the first-half pennant race. Everett (25-25) is in a tie for fourth, just 1.5 games out.
Despite the loss, Hillsboro will enter Sunday’s series finale with a chance to win their first six-game road series of the year. The radio broadcast on Rip City Radio 620AM (and online at www.RipCityRadio.com) will begin at 3:50, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05.
Hops Avoid Series Loss with a Three-Run Seventh Inning
Hillsboro, OR (May 25)- With the series on the line, the Hillsboro Hops rallied to split the six-game set against the Everett AquaSox with a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Hillsboro Ballpark. The Hops racked up 11 hits and struck out only three times, while the Hillsboro pitching staff
Montes and Cijntje Shine as Sox Beat Hops 3-2
Hillsboro, OR (May 24, 2025) – The Hops and AquaSox were tied at two games a piece entering the fifth game of the series on a beautiful Saturday at Hillsboro Ballpark. The electric switch-pitching Jurrangelo Cijntje was on the bump for Everett and was dominant until the fifth inning where
John West Shines as Hops Claim Statement Win Over AquaSox
May 23 (Hillsboro, OR)- The Hillsboro Hops delivered a commanding performance Friday night at Hillsboro Ballpark, notching a 4-1 victory over the Everett AquaSox. John West was electric on the mound, throwing seven strong innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out seven. The Hops offense backed him
Hops Come Up Short in 3-0 Loss to AquaSox Despite Strong Pitching
May 22 (Hillsboro, OR) – The Hillsboro Hops were blanked 3-0 by the Everett AquaSox in a tightly contested Thursday afternoon matchup at Hillsboro Ballpark. Pitching dominated on both sides, as both teams combined for just eight total hits. Hillsboro outhit Everett five to three and committed fewer errors, Everett
Mariners' Top Prospects do Damage in 9-3 Win Over Hops
Hillsboro, OR (May 21, 2025) – The Everett AquaSox are the only team in MiLB with five top 100 prospects and those top prospects would make some noise on Wednesday night at Hillsboro Ballpark. Hillsboro beat Everett last night by a score of 7-2, but tonight it was the Mariners’
Jansel Luis' Two-Run Go-Ahead Homer gets Hops Series Split
Pasco, WA (May 18, 2025) – Hillsboro entered play on Sunday looking to avoid their first series loss of 2025 and through seven innings it wasn’t looking promising. Hillsboro trailed 2-1 entering the eighth inning and had just two hits, when Jansel Luis hit a go-ahead two-run homer with two
Hillsboro Outhits Tri-City for Fifth Straight Game, Wins 6-3
Pasco, WA (May 17, 2025) – The Hops were just 1-3 against Tri-City this week entering Saturday’s game, despite outhitting them in every game of the series. Hillsboro would again outhit the Dust Devils, but this time they got the win. Logan Clayton was solid over 3.2 innings, Gavin Logan
Hops Lose Third One-Run Game of the Week to Tri-City
Pasco, WA (May 16, 2025) – Entering the series against Tri-City this week, Hillsboro was 10-1 in one run games in 2025. The Hops would lose a one-run game on Tuesday and Thursday and unfortunately added another to the tally on Friday night at Gesa Stadium. The Dust Devils beat
Opportunity Walks And A.J. Blocks
PASCO, Wash. --- The Hillsboro Hops outhit the Tri-City Dust Devils for the third consecutive game Thursday night, but find themselves trailing the six-game series two games to one. Adrian Placencia grounded a single past second baseman Cristofer Torin with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning,
Season Ticket Seat Selection for New Ballpark Underway
Hillsboro, Ore. (May 15, 2025) – The Hillsboro Hops announced on Thursday that season ticket seat selection for the new Hillsboro Hops Ballpark has officially begun. The first season ticket holders in Hops’ history, former Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway and his wife Joan have purchased their new seats for 2026.
Persistent Hops Even Series
PASCO, Wash. --- The Hillsboro Hops have looked like baseball's version of a West Coast offense, dinking and dunking their way through two games at Tri-City without ever hitting the home run ball or getting the explosive inning. Wednesday night's dinks plus dunks added up an 11-8 victory over the
You Can't Catch Me-Devils Walk Off In Series Opener
PASCO, Wash. -- Baseball may seem like a slow game to some, but the ability to make split-second decisions, to read and react quickly can often be essential to success in the grand old game. Leading 2-1 entering the last of the ninth and with lefty closer Philip Abner (0-1)
Hillsboro Walks all over Eugene in 10-4 Series-Clinching Win
Hillsboro, OR (May 11, 2025) – The Hops celebrated Mother’s Day 2025 at Hillsboro Ballpark on Sunday with one of their best offensive showings of the year. Hillsboro drew 14 walks and picked up 11 hits, in their 10-4 series-clinching victory over Eugene. Druw Jones and Junior Franco each reached
Emeralds Take Control in 8-2 Win Over Hops
May 10th (Hillsboro, OR)- One night after a valiant comeback win, the Hillsboro Hops could not recreate the magic, falling 8-2 to the Eugene Emeralds on Saturday at Hillsboro Ballpark. Tied at 2-2 in the third, Eugene pulled ahead in the fourth and took full control of the contest. The
Hillsboro Hangs Tough in 5-4 Comeback Win
May 9th (Hillsboro, OR)- The Hillsboro Hops showed resilience against the Eugene Emeralds in the Friday night battle at Hillsboro Ballpark. After being shut out for five innings, the Hops rallied to score four runs in the sixth, then took the lead for god in the eighth on an Angel
Hops Escape Late Eugene Rally, Hold on For 4-3 Win
Hillsboro, OR (May 8, 2025) – Daniel Eagen made his last start in an 11am game at Hillsboro Ballpark on April 24th and started off that game with an immaculate inning. Today, in an 11am game against Eugene he would turn in another great performance, recording the win and striking
Crisantes' Two-Homer Game Powers Hops to Win
Hillsboro, OR (May 7, 2025) – Despite leading the league in batting average and being second in total hits, the Hops were dead last in the Northwest League in home runs entering play on Wednesday. The Hops and Emeralds squared off for the fifth time 2025 at Hillsboro Ballpark and
Early Grand Slam Sinks Hops in Series Opener Against Emeralds
April 6th (Hillsboro, OR)-The Hillsboro Hops opened a six-game series at Hillsboro Ballpark on Tuesday night against the Eugene Emeralds. Eugene launched its first grand slam of the season in the opening inning, and despite several comeback efforts, Hillsboro fell short in a 9–7 loss to start the series. It
One-Hit Wonder: Hops Beat C’s, Split Series
VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 4, 2025) --- Baseball is a funny game, wrote Joe Garagiola. That was on display over the final four games of the Hillsboro Hops’ six-game series in Vancouver. The Hops tallied 32 hits in a pair of wins on Thursday and Friday. Saturday? Just two hits in
Old Adages Prove True, C’s Win 6-0
VANCOUVER, WASH. (May 3, 2025) --- There are a pair of old lines in baseball, oft-repeated because they’re true. Good pitching beats good hitting. And momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. Those lines showed their veracity again on Saturday at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver.
Hittin’ Hops’ Surge Continues
VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 2nd, 2025) --- The Hillsboro Hops’ offensive onslaught continued for a second straight game at Nat Bailey Stadium. A day after setting a season-high with 15 hits, the Hops recorded 17 hits on Friday afternoon in a 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canadians. Cristofer Torin led the
Hops Club Canadians, End Pair of Losing Streaks
VANCOUVER, B.C. (May 1, 2025) --- The Hillsboro Hops ended their three-game losing streak --- and their ten-game losing streak in Vancouver dating to April 2024 --- with an emphatic 12-2 win over the Canadians at Nat Bailey Stadium on Thursday night. Hillsboro (14-10) pounded out a season-high 15 hits,
Hillsboro's Late Rally Comes up Short in 9-6 Defeat
Vancouver, BC (April 30, 2025) – Hillsboro and Vancouver met at Nat Bailey Stadium on Wednesday night for the second game of the series and it was déjà vu for the Hops. For the second straight game, Vancouver would score in the first three innings to take a commanding early
26 Combined Walks in Marathon Series Opener Loss
Vancouver, BC (April 29, 2025) – The Hops traveled north of the border to begin a six-game set with the Vancouver Canadians on Tuesday. Nat Bailey Stadium was not kind to the Hops last season as they were 1-11 in Vancouver over 12 games and those struggles would continue to
Hillsboro Hops Release New Stadium Renderings and Amenities, Revealing a Game-Changing Experience
Hillsboro, Ore. —The Hillsboro Hops today released three new architectural renderings (New Ballpark Hub | Hops), offering a new look at the team’s future home—an innovative stadium currently under construction and slated to open for the 2026 season. The team also unveiled a suite of transformative amenities that promise to