WEEK IN REVIEW: (4-1) The Boise Spuds raced out of the gates to open the 2041 season, sweeping Brooklyn in a two-game series on the road to start the year, then taking two of three at home against Las Vegas, the defending Landis champions. The Spuds didn't win their fourth game last year until April 24th.ORE-IDA® TATER-TOTS EMOJI SUMMARY OF THE WEEK:
HITTER OF THE WEEK: Dennis French - 10-for-21, 3 RBI, 5 R (.476 AVG, 1.141 OPS)
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Leroy Hoffman - 3 G, 1-0, 1 SV, 7.1 IP (0.00 ERA, 0.82 WHIP)
GAME OF THE WEEK: If a series in the first week of April can be deemed "big", the three-game stretch from April 4-6 was just that for the Spuds. It was the team's first home stand of the year, so the fans were going to be amped up, especially with the Spuds already winning the first two games of the year and the 2040 champion Hustlers rolling into town. "We're by no means on their level," General Manager Joe Lederer told reporters before the game, "but if you want to be the best, you first have to beat the best. Playing the defending champions is a great barometer to see where to club stacks up in the division." The opening game of the series on April 4th was played in front of nearly full capacity stadium (39,756) and the Hustlers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead through two innings. The Spuds chipped away as the game rolled on and heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the visitors remained up 5-3. Leading off the inning was star centerfielder Dennis French, who promptly hustled out an infield single on the first pitch from lefty Shawn Huber, the game's top reliever. Las Vegas' bullpen is one of the best, if not the very best, in the entire Brewster so mounting a comeback would be a tall task. With French on first, Hustlers' manager Edward Allen made his way to the mound and decided to pull Huber and bring in Augate Balun to face the heart of the Boise lineup. Félix Román would reach on an infield error, sending French to second base and bringing rookie Ricardo Ruíz up to the plate. On the first pitch, Ruíz took it for a strike as French made a mad dash to third base, sliding just under the tag for the steal. With runners now on the corners and a 1-2 count, Ruíz launched a 429 foot home run to center, the first of his career, to put the Spuds up 6-5, which would remain the final score. "Wow, just wow," Ruíz told the Treasure Valley Sports on-field reporter after the game ended. "Dream come true, baby!"
JOHNSON LEAGUE FRONTIER DIVISION STANDINGS
| TEAM | WINS | LOSES | WIN% | GB | RD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio Outlaws | 4 | 1 | .800 | - | +19 |
| Boise Spuds | 4 | 1 | .800 | - | +16 |
| Calgary Pioneers | 4 | 1 | .800 | - | +13 |
| Edmonton Jackrabbits | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1 | -2 |
| Phoenix Talons | 3 | 3 | .500 | 1.5 | +4 |
| Wichita Aviators | 2 | 4 | .333 | 2.5 | -5 |
| Mexico City Aztecs | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3 | -5 |
| Las Vegas Hustlers | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3 | -10 |
DOWN ON THE FARM: For the start of the 2041 season, the Boise farm system was ranked #7 in the Brewster by the Baseball News Network...the Spuds had five players ranked in the top 100 prospects: Jorge Maestas (#8 overall), Carlos Díaz (#20), Robin Cooper (#50), Ruíz (#72), and Montoya (#94)...despite graduating two top-75 ranked prospects last year in Román (#8 in 2040) and Motonobu Yamashita (#62), Salt Lake City (AAA) looks to be one of the better minor league clubs in the league, thanks to some of the aforementioned youngsters and a deep lineup of BBA veterans...Salt Lake City started the season 3-3...the Weymouth Irish (AA) started their campaign 4-2, led by the bat of CF Ramón Miranda (.391, 3 HR) and arm of Cooper (2-0, 1.80 ERA, 11 K/0 BB)...the Tulsa Ginzels (A) also jumped out to a 4-2 start, winning four straight after two losses to open the season...Ramón Valéncia paced the offense with three HR and eight RBI...the Hot Springs Majestics (Short-A) and Tijuana Cutthroats (Rookie) won't start play until their seasons begins in the last week of May