Cats' Gorneault records 1,000th hit
Ever since the 30-year-old Minor League veteran recorded hit No. 999 on Tuesday, he had been the target of good-natured ribbing from his New Hampshire Fisher Cats teammates.
"They would kind of get on me [and say], 'We can't wait around forever,'" Gorneault said. "But they've been really cool about it. They came in [Saturday] and were like, 'Today's the day.'"
So with his teammates behind him and his wife in the stands, Gorneault proved the prediction right, cracking a two-run, third-inning double to record his elusive 1,000th Minor League hit. The Fisher Cats went on to score five runs in the frame en route to a 10-6 victory over the Altoona Curve at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.
"It was pretty nice," Gorneault said of the celebration, which momentarily halted play as the crowd rose for a rousing ovation. "We have good fans here. They come out and support the team, so it was all cool."
Although the hit cost Gorneault a pair of batting gloves, which he intends on saving along with the bat and ball, it's a small price to pay as far as he's concerned.
"Hitting is hard enough as it is without having the pressure of trying to connect every time up," he said after ending an 0-for-9 slump with the milestone double.
"It's nice to get it get it over with and now focus on [just] hitting."
A former Texas League All-Star, Gorneault began his professional career with the Angels' Rookie League team in 2001, advancing all the way to the Majors, where he went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in two games in 2007.
This season, the Massachusetts native is batting .212 with 31 RBIs for New Hampshire. And while Saturday's achievement is special, Gorneault says his first priority is helping the Fisher Cats win.
"As a competitor and as an athlete, you have these milestones and I think they are better in retrospect," he said, "when you are all done playing."
Because the veteran isn't nearly done making his mark on baseball.
Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com.