PLAY BALL! SOMETIME around 6:35 tonight, if the forecasted rain holds off, those words will ring out over the Civic Field crowd and the Port Angeles Lefties inaugural game will begin against their new West Coast League rival, the Victoria HarbourCats.
The Lefties will compete in the 11-team WCL North Division, alongside the defending division champ HarbourCats, the Kelowna Falcons, Bellingham Belles, Wenatchee Apple Sox and Walla Walla Sweets.
The 13-year-old WCL bears similarities to Minor League Baseball. The nicknames and logos of WCL teams sound like they could be part of the vast world of A, AA and AAA ball, with its Tourists, Fireflies, Yard Goats and GreenJackets.
Promotions such as Thirsty Thursdays and a youth jersey design contest also resemble what you will find at minor league parks across the country.
But the WCL is different.
The Lefties players are all still amateurs, college players at two- and four-year universities. They haven’t started their professional careers yet, and are looking to increase their skills.
Port Angeles will even sport a recent high-school graduate, Kevin Kendall of La Mirada, Calif., a middle infielder who will play ball for UCLA next season.
Some are hoping to catch the eye of a big-league scout, others might not have seen much playing time with their college teams and are looking to bust out.
Everybody will be attempting to acclimate to the grind of playing baseball every day, a change from most college programs which play weekend series before getting back to the books.
Fields of dreams
And while elusive, the dream of a professional baseball career has been realized by WCL players.
A total of 234 WCL alumni played in affiliated pro baseball in 2016, including 25 in the major leagues.
Sixteen players who have played for WCL teams made opening day rosters for Major League teams this spring, including three Mariners: James Paxton (Kelowna), Marc Rzepczynski (Bellingham/Corvallis) and Mitch Haniger (Corvallis).
It helps if you can throw 100 mph like Paxton. Now, the Lefties stable of arms may not break the century mark, but we should be able to see and hear 90-plus MPH fastballs popping into catcher’s mitts on a pretty frequent basis this summer.
With players still arriving or yet to arrive, a hot tub to be installed on the party deck and other small additions still to come, I’d look at tonight’s game as a dress rehearsal.The real fun should begin next week when the Lefties open a six-game homestand on Monday with three games against Kelowna and three versus Walla Walla.
What to watch for
Here are four things to look forward to this summer at Civic Field:
1. Warm summer evenings with the Olympics in view.
We might have to wait a while for warm weather to return, but having spent many a summer night watching Wilder Baseball and the Olympic Crosscutters play baseball under the lights, I can tell you Civic Field is superb.
Freshly mowed grass, infield dirt and the smell of barbecue in the air. Rock, flag and eagle. If that doesn’t sound like America, I don’t know what does.
2. Beer: Now I won’t be imbibing during any game I cover, but visitors can feel free to have a beverage.
Lefties-themed Blazing Blonde Ale and Double Play IPA from Everett’s Scuttlebutt Brewing and a Lefties Lemon Basil Cider from One Tree Hard Cider are available around town and should be on tap for the opener.
There are also wines like Olympic Cellars’ Go-Ahead Red and Walk-Off White.
3. Orange and blue bicyclists: Sound Bike and Kayak employees have been working late prepping blue and orange colored bicycles for Lefties players to use to get around town. It should be fun to see the players pedaling on Peabody or riding down Race. Say hey, to the kids.
4. Uniforms: I have a critical eye when it comes to logos, team colors and uniforms. I’ll admit I was worried when I heard rumors about the team being saddled with a nickname like Timber Dawgs. Woof. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised with Lefties, a term that is certainly synonymous with the game of baseball (and not at all political).
The logo’s combination of cursive script, mountains, a setting sun, a wave and an Olympic marmot in a pinstriped uniform are a home run.
Port Angeles is expected to wear its home whites tonight, a traditional and classic choice for the first game in franchise history. And the Lefties batting helmets are gems, a deep matte blue with a simple PA in orange that resemble the New York Mets.
Swing away and paint the corners blue and orange, boys. It’s time for the fun to begin.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
