I’m trying to get my family to head up north to visit my grandparents in Toledo the week before the 4th of July when the Tigers are going to be home. I want to go see Skubal pitch.
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I went with my Dad to see Mark Fidrych pitch in his rookie season.
I still remember everything about that day.
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It was the day Bols saw his first grandma.
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Bols had a secret crush on Marge Schott back in the day I bet…
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I didn’t have a crush, but I’d do her.
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http://archive.today/2025.05.04-222851/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/05/04/bryce-rainer-is-learning-in-all-ways-detroit-tigers-life-and-a-rookies-realities/83444695007/
Full article at Link.
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Given what he experienced six pitches into his first official professional baseball game, Bryce Rainer’s early spring for the Single A Lakeland Flying Tigers has been all the more imposing.
Herring followed with a fastball that smashed into Rainer’s batting helmet.
He was done that day and missed a handful of games as concussion protocol followed.
And then Rainer got busy being Rainer.
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In eight games from April 23 through Saturday, he was 9-for-27, with what seemed to be a jet-engine contrail of 100-mph-plus exit velocities that ripped from his left-handed bat.
Through those same eight games he had seven walks to match seven strikeouts. He had two home runs and three doubles.
More: Pitching angry? Don’t look now but Tigers’ Tarik Skubal is on a heater
It should be noted, also, the trauma from Herring’s beaning didn’t lead to any bail-outs against left-handed pitchers. In eight plate-appearances against lefties after April 4, Rainer had two hits, two walks, and zero strikeouts.
“He’s a player, man – a ballplayer,” Rene Rivera, who manages Lakeland, said during a Sunday phone interview. “And that’s the beauty of this league. Here’s a young player who until this year hadn’t played a game of pro baseball, showing his potential and his desire to be better every day
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He revealed, under heavy questioning, that the most gratifying part of his first professional spring “is mainly being around older guys and watching how they play – how they conduct themselves.”
That, he said, was “the coolest thing,” along with what he considers to be the most specific benefit from his hitting seminars under the Tigers development team:
“It starts with the hitters’ meetings in the morning,” he said, avoiding steadfastly any further insight. “We have great hitting coaches.”
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This is my guy.
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Marge after a good night with Bols.
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Bryce Rainer’s journey is definitely intriguing! It’s impressive how he bounced back from that fastball to the helmet and quickly found his rhythm in the game. The way he’s able to handle left-handed pitchers so far really shows his potential. I love hearing that he values learning from the older guys—it’s great to see young talent focused on improving. Do you think this early success can help him stay mentally strong throughout the season?
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Welcome.
It certainly can’t hurt biggest thing I have taken from others in the past is the change from College and especially from HS(Rainer).
It’s a long season and they have to get used to that, plus playing in the heat and humidity of Lakeland is another challenge.
Enjoy the game! Those Rockies sure are bad. 22 games under .500 in early May lol
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NVM…wrong thread.
Uh, right franchise, perhaps, wrong thread…
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Just fyi, 6 HR before May 10 at West Michigan is bazonkers.
Team record is 21. He is tracking 30, while hitting a career worst .235.
He had in the AFL 10 HR in as many games as he played now in High A this year, and hit .433, against better competition.
So yeah, nice slump, Briceño!