NO TIME FOR MONKEY BUSINESS,

HITMEN LOCK UP CAGE MONKEYS, 5-3!

With a game-day roster of only nine starters and one substitute, who would've had to hit with a pen instead of a bat if called upon, the HITMEN put on a baseball clinic and demonstrated what a team can accomplish when it is firing on all major components of the game; hitting, pitching, defense, and running.

 

AND...ACTION!!! With only two Cage Monkeys striking out, one being the very last batter of the game, the HITMEN defense secured 25 of the 27 possible outs with plays worthy of inclusion on an instructional video of how to properly play the game of Baseball.

   The infield trio of SS CHRISTIAN TINTLE, 2B WILL MAGRO, and 1B MICHAEL McVEY; and later joined at 2B by STEVE SANCHEZ, found it economical to get two outs on one batted ball by turning in four double-plays. Steve also flashed his defensive skills on the mound by leaping for and snagging a high bouncing ball heading to second base as well as instinctively covering first base on a ball hit wide of first base.   

   Catcher AJ HERBERT cut down a loose Monkey who thought he'd find freedom at second base after a wild pitch, but had to return to his dugout cage after being erased by AJ's cannon-like arm. 

   Best Supporting Glove, if the Academy Awards had such a category, would go to MICHAEL McVEY for his work around first base of handling misdirected throws and high exit velocity ground balls.

 

SOFTBALL ROVER? The Cage Monkeys were left scratching their heads, wondering if they were batting against a 10-man defense like you would find in softball. What they were actually up against was centerfielder JOSE CASTILLON, who can make it seem as if the HITMEN should be flagged for too many men on the field, as evidenced by JOSE charging in for a shallow pop-up that fell just beyond second base and then registering an assist by forcing a Monkey out at the keystone bag. To prove that he is not a selfish player, centerfielder JOSE allowed catcher AJ HERBERT to catch a foul pop-up behind home plate.

 

CAN HE DO IT? It has been restated countless times over the years that Baseball great James "Cool Papa" Bell could turn off a light switch and get in bed before the room got dark. Speedster JOSE CASTILLON hasn't been put to that test yet, but JOSE did arrive safely at third base with a triple off the right field fence just as the scorekeeper was about to record a double for him. 

 

LEAGUE PUT ON NOTICE!!! AJ HERBERT'S bat that has been lying dormant for far too long, broke out of its slumber with two vicious line-drive singles. Even the balls AJ hit foul sent shockwaves through the Monkey moundsmen. 

 

"JUST RUB SOME DIRT ON IT": What do you do if you have a freshly sprained ankle and an injured shoulder? Well, if you're CHRISTIAN TINTLE, you take your place in the line-up, bang out two hits; including an RBI double, score a run, and play shutdown defense at shortstop.  

 

JOIN THE PARTY! Contributing to what turned out to be a festive day for the HITMEN were CHRIS DROEGE with an RBI double and NOAH SHRIVER with a run-scoring Sacrifice Fly.

 

A WORK OF ART!!! Pitchers STEVE SANCHEZ (Win) and RYAN "NOTHING BOTHERS ME" ELLIOTT (Save) combined to paint a masterpiece of artistic moundwork. After completing five shutout innings, STEVE exited the hill in the sixth inning; having given up just two hits and one earned run. The HITMEN rode the rest of the way to victory on the strength of RYAN'S right arm and fluttering knuckleball.

 

BUYER BEWARE!!! While WILL MAGRO is not involved with byte coins or crypto currency, he might try to sell off his Golden Sombrero?