Flashback Friday: Goodland Field Finale (1994)
Flashback Friday kicks off February with a
look back at the Goodland Field Finale. This week it is Joe Christensen's
game story in the Post-Crescent on the August 29, 1994 game between the
Appleton Foxes and the South Bend Silver Hawks. Next week, the Mike Woods
article that puts the period to the end of the Goodland Field era is the
Flashback.
Foxes fall in the finale
- South Bend unofficially turns out the lights on Goodland Field by jumping to an 8-0 lead and cruising to victory
Well, at least no one at Goodland Field on Monday
night had to yell, "Last one out, turnout the lights."
The South Bend Silver Hawks had done that five innings earlier in what could be
the last game ever at the 54-year-old ballpark.
South Bend took a 8-0 lead in the fourth inning, and the Appleton Foxes only
managed to make it 8-1 before it was over. How anti-climatic for the 3,492
fans who turned out Monday to say good-bye to Goodland, perhaps hoping for an
encore after Sunday's 8-4, come-from-behind Foxes victory.
The Foxes' only chance to play at Goodland again this season is making the
playoffs. Otherwise there next home game will be in April at their new
ballpark on Casaloma Drive.
It looks like the Foxes can get into the playoffs by finishing second in the
Midwest League's Northern Division. First-half champion Rockford clinched
at least a tie for the second-half title Monday.
Second place Beloit lost Monday by still leads Appleton by two games with the
Foxes set to play a three-game series at Beloit to close out the regular season
starting Wednesday. Appleton had won the first three games of the series
against South Bend to keep pace with Beloit's five-game winning streak.
"Before we started the series," Foxes manager Carlos Lezcano said,
"if you would have told me we were going to take three out of four, I would
have taken it."
Tonight in the first of two games at Quad City, Ivan Montane (8-9) will start
for the Foxes. It was his turn in the rotation Monday, but Foxes pitching
coach Juan Eichelberger started Jose Sanchez instead, citing that Montane had
pitched better on the road than at home. Also, Montane worked two innings
of relief since his last start AUgust 22.
Sanchez (4-4), who took Monday's loss, said he didn't mind pitching on five days
rest but said, "I thought I was going to be pitching tomorrow, until
two days ago."
The Silver Hawks loaded the bases in the third inning against Sanchez and Julio
Vinas drove in all three runners with a double deep to center field.
The first four South Bend batters reached base in the fourth, before Lezcano
summoned Greg Theron for relief. Theron stopped the bleeding with the
Foxes trailing 8-0 and shut South Bend down through the eighth inning.
After the game, Theron didn't express disappointment that his team hadn't
matched Sunday's rally in Monday's game against winning pitcher Andy McCormack
(9-11).
"Hopefully, we'll have the pleasure of coming back after Beloit,"
Theron said. "It's be nice. I want to go home with a
ring."
LEZCANO SPEAKS: Asked for a final comment on the last season at Goodland
Field, Lezcano offered this: "I'm disappointed at the people here this
year, because they're only thinking about next year and they kind of are
forgetting about this team, this year. That's the only regrets I've
got. I hope the stadium is built and it's nice, but we're kind of ...
option number two. Option number one was the new stadium."
MANTEI THE MAN: Foxes reliever Matt Mantei was named Midwest League
pitcher of the week with three saves in four games.
STOLEN GLOVES: In the aftermath of Monday's game, someone stole Mike
Barger and Manny Patel's gloves.
BOX SCORE
SOUTH BEND AB R
H BI
Newhouse, rf 5 2
2 1
Evans, lf 5
1 0 1
Norton, 3b 4 1
1 1
Vinas, c 4
0 1 4
Thomas, 1b 5 0
0 0
Richardson, cf 3 1 2
0
Navas, 2b 4
1 1 0
Navas, 2b* 4 1
1 0
Polidor, ss 3 2
2 1
APPLETON AB
R H BI
Barger, cf 4 0
1 0
DeKneef, 2b 4 0
0 0
McNair, 1b 4 0
1 0
Ibanez, dh 4 1
1 0
Cuellar, c 4 0
0 0
Marquez, rf 4 0
3 1
Delgado, ss 4 0
0 0
Cook, 1b 3
0 2 0
Smith, lf 2
0 0 0
E - McCormack. PB - Cuellar 2. DP - SB 1, A
- 1. LOB - SB 7, A - 6. 2B - Vinas (31), Norton (33), Ibanez (29), McNair (15).
SB - Navas (1). CS - Barger (18), Marquez (9). SF - Vinas
R H E
South Bend 003 500 000 - 8 10 0
Appleton 000 100 000 - 1
8 1
PITCHING
IP H R ER
BB SO
South Bend
McCormack W (9-11) 7.0 7 1
1 1 3
Bailey
2.0 1 0 0
0 1
Appleton
Sanchez L (4-4) 3.0 6
7 7 2 5
Theron
5.0 4 1 1
2 0
Krueger
1.0 0 0 0
0 1
WP - Sanchez (5). HBP - by Sanchez (Polidor). Balk - Sanchez, McCormack. T - 2:44. A - 3,492
NOTES:
The Foxes would not make it to the playoffs in 1994. In the final 10 seasons at
Goodland Field, the Foxes made the playoffs twice (1985, 1992).
Had Carlos Lezcano been a bit more diplomatic, that final thought would have
been a bit more tactful.
The final out was recorded at 9:51pm on a Wilson Delgado line out to Greg
Norton. That is the open to the Mike Woods article for next week.
Did you know that there is a facebook page called: Goodland
Field was awesome, fiberglass seats and all? There is.
Did
you know that the fox on the cover of the 1993 program was called Freddy the
Fox? And that there was a mascot costume for him? I learned that
from that Goodland Field facebook page.
Past Flashbacks:
October
8: In fair territory (1994)
October
15: Fans flock to see Foxes (1987)
October
22: New Park (1995)
October
29: Logo Decision (1994)
November
5: Ed Sedar, Pitcher (1985)
November
12: Abarbanel no-hitter (1966)
November
19: McCauley no-hitter (1972)
November
26: Monroe no-hitter (1975)
December
3: Conner, Smith no-hitter (1990)
December
10: Pomp & Circumstance (1940)
December
17: Opening Day (1940)
January
7: Matt Erickson: Year One (1997)
January 21: Gil Meche (1998, 1999)
January
28: 18 K's for Ryan Anderson (1998)