“It broke a mile,” said Catcher Aaron Stone.
“I had a grand time with this franchise,” Klopp said in his often sincere, but humor-laden acceptance speech. “And I’m so proud to recall that I ended my career right here in this town.” The Nine moved from Phoenix to Ohio when Klopp was 38 years old and finishing up his storied career—a career that included 222 total wins, 145 of them for the YS9 franchise. Those 222 wins register #20 on the all-time list, just two behind current Crusader Ricardo Diaz.
“I don’t think people remember what a great pitcher David Klopp was,” said current Nine hurler and opening day starter Jose Chavez. “There’s a lot of guys in the Hall of Fame that didn’t win 222 games and a Nebraska (Klopp’s Nebraska came as a result of going 22-5 with a 3.02 ERA during a stint with Montreal). He was also a four-time All-Star. Those 145 wins are a club record, as are his 2,528 strikeouts, though it’s possible Chavez could eclipse that win total this season.
The Nine brought Klopp’s induction to a storyboard ending with a 4-0 victory over Des Moines in which Chavez struck out 9 hitters in 7 innings, allowing only two hits and walking one.
“I liked watching Jose pitch,” Klopp said afterward.
A fun time was had by all.