We knew it had to happen eventually. I mean, really. If you hit .360 for Tacoma in 300 plate appearances, you’re gonna get called up.
The Seattle Mariners called up Jose Marmolejos today, deciding they needed another left-handed bat because they are facing a string of right-handed starting pitchers in the next few games.
Marmolejos hit .360 for Tacoma, which ranks second in the league. He’s also second in the league in home runs with 23, and his 71 RBI is tops in the circuit. We’re talking about a legitimate Triple Crown contender here.
The batting title, in particular, would have been a lot of fun. Tacoma has had just one player lead the league in hitting since Cheney Stadium was built in 1960. Ever since Tacoma joined the PCL 61 years ago, there have been teams that play in great hitter’s parks which give their players a statistical advantage. Cheney has always been a pitcher’s park compared to the rest of the league.
The lone Tacoma player to win the PCL batting title was outfielder Troy Neel for the 1992 Tacoma Tigers. Neel hit .351 and beat out Edmonton’s Tim Salmon by .004 points.
Neel was stuck in Tacoma that year, blocked by an Oakland A’s outfield of Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco, and Willie Wilson. Hall of Famer Harold Baines had the DH spot, and Mark McGwire was the first baseman. There was no room for Neel to get any playing time for an Oakland team that won the AL West.
Marmolejos was in a battle with Reno’s Henry Ramos for the batting lead. Ramos, currently hitting .363, is still with Reno. Marmolejos is 50 plate appearances shy of the 351 needed to qualify for the title at the end of the season, so he’s not going to make it unless something unexpected happens.
Tacoma has had three PCL home run leaders, but none since Bob Gorinski led the league in 1976 with 28. Gorinski is also the only Tacoma player to ever lead the league in RBI, with 110 that same year.
For comparison’s sake, Tacoma has had 14 pitchers lead the league in ERA since 1960. Darren McCaughan is in the running for it this season.
Marmolejos certainly deserves the call-up and hopefully he’ll continue to hit well for the Mariners. Losing him will impact the Rainiers offense, of course. Just how much remains to be seen.
RAINIERS DAILY
YESTERDAY: Five Tacoma pitchers combined to shut out Salt Lake on Sunday afternoon, 3-0. Ian McKinney started and went the first five innings, allowing one hit. Nick Duron, Justus Sheffield, Aaron Fletcher, and Matt Festa each pitched a single scoreless inning to complete the game. Salt Lake had just three hits and all three were infield singles. Marcus Wilson hit a long home run off the video board, while Donovan Walton and Jantzen Witte each had RBI doubles.
TODAY: Salt Lake (43-56) at Tacoma (58-42), 7:05.
OPPONENT AFFILIATION: Los Angeles Angels.
OPPOSING MANAGER: Lou Marson.
SEASON SERIES: Tacoma leads, 12-10.
PITCHERS: LHP Jack Dashwood (0-0, 0.00) at RHP Logan Verrett (7-3, 5.21)
This will be the Triple-A debut for Dashwood, who was most recently pitching as reliever in Double-A.
ROSTER MOVES: The Mariners called up Jose Marmolejos. To make room on the 40-man roster, reliever Jimmy Yacabonis was designated for assignment.
HOT HITTERS: Jantzen Witte has reached base safely in 18 straight games, and he has gone 58-for-169 (.343) over his last 42 games… Donovan Walton has hit seven homers in his last 19 games and has a new career high of 12 home runs in a season… Sam Travis has gone 36-for-109 (.330) over his last 27 games… Jack Reinheimer has a seven-game hitting streak, and he has reached base in 20 straight games.
OPPONENT NEWS: Salt Lake just had a rough series at home against Reno, dropping five of six games… Michael Stefanic has reached base in 13 straight games and is batting .374 with six homers during the month of August… Jake Gatewood is fourth in the league with 22 home runs… Bees reliever Tim Peterson was born in Tacoma and graduated from Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup.
BROADCAST: All games will be broadcast free on a live audio stream which is available right here.
Unfortunately, there is no traditional terrestrial radio station carrying the games at this time.
TRIPLE-A WEST SCOREBOARD: Follow all league games in real-time with links to Gameday screens right here.
STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- The Mariners avoided a sweep, beating the Royals on Sunday afternoon as Kyle Seager hit a go-ahead homer.
- The Salvador Perez thing was pretty amazing.
- The News Tribune’s weekly Mariners Takeaways includes an item on injured outfielder Kyle Lewis, who could start a rehab assignment as soon as… today?
Listen to every home and away Tacoma Rainiers game for free HERE. You can also download the MiLB First Pitch app for a free and easy one-click listening experience at home, work or in your car. Watch an HD video broadcast of every game with an MiLB.TV subscription. Use code: RAINIERS to save $10 on an annual subscription.
About the Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers are a member of the Triple-A West. Tacoma has been a Mariners affiliate since establishing the Rainiers moniker in 1995.
Find more information and purchase single game tickets here. Questions regarding season tickets can be directed to Tickets@WeRTacoma.com.
The most up-to-date news and notes about the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium can be found at WeRTacoma.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand), Instagram (@tacomarainiers) and liking the team on Facebook.
March 16, 2023