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The DMO hit a BBA-leading 20 home runs in the first week of '62 play.
3B Félix 'Matchbox' Parreno hit two. Alonso 'Huckleberry' Flinn, at his new home at first base, hit one. And RF Júlio Pérez, and four other guys also hit homers, including free agent signee LF Wan-ling 'Koo Koo' Koo, who hits his second of the season. Rookie CF Ken'ichi Okubo also hit his second of the year, OK, to spell it out, DH Carlos Rodríguez and utility man extraordinaire Dennis Armitage also hit blasts.
"Pretty sure that's the most we've seen the club hit in one game," asst GM Esteban Costa said, speaking for himself and his jefe JRamirez.
The Kernels collected 17 hits in total and did something fun by scoring three runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, each. "Crooked numbers, how we love 'em," manager Mel Jenkins said.
Larry Ditmars was the goat, not the wolf, of this game, giving up four home runs in 1.1 innings of play. Starter Tyler Murray and third-year man Takahiro Fujii each gave up two.
DM reliever Dileep 'the Guru' Mirchandani managed to allow four Wolves to cross the plate in the ninth, including two inherited from Cantrell, before finally retiring 1B Dave McClain, the first and 10th batter of the inning, FTW. The Guru threw 32 pitches in the one inning!
"Hopefully that rust is all gone," Costa said, "Gotta say, I've seen Will Lee looking better on the Des Moines mound."
Shout out to former Kernel, 1B Ricardo Norman, whom the crowd gave enthusiastic applause to in his first appearance in town on the opposing side.
"Huckleberry?" Jenkins said, "Sounds like the first line of a haiku. Oh, he's fine at first. We're not gonna miss Stormin' Norman."
A 211 OPS+ by Flinn (429/452/714) in the first week seems to support that.
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