‘Feels like baseball again.’ Modesto Nuts open season with 5-3 win in front of large crowd
When the fireworks went off and the kids lined up to run the bases postgame, it was clear: Spring baseball is officially back in Modesto and the fans are loving it.
The crowd started piling into John Thurman Field early. About an hour and a half before the 7:10 p.m. first pitch, spectators found their seats for the Modesto Nuts’ Opening Day.
The Nuts have 15 players returning after playing either a whole season or part of last season with the team. First-year manager Austin Knight said the players could feel the excitement and anticipation for the first game of the season as soon as they stepped on the field prior to Friday’s 5-3 win over the visiting San Jose Giants.
“That was the first thing that a lot of guys said when they came out for warm-ups,” Knight said. “They were like, ‘Oh, man, the folks are out early tonight in Modesto.’ So I think they definitely fed off the energy and hopefully we can keep fans wanting to come back.”
The Nuts got started early. Jonatan Clase and Harry Ford drew two straight walks to start the game, and Robert Perez drove in the Nuts’ first run of the season on a sacrifice fly. After a Milkar Perez walk, Freuddy Batista blasted a three-run shot over the left-field fence to cap off the four-run first inning.
The whole team, rookies and vets alike, was ready for the moment. Clase and Ford showed patience with a six-pitch at bat and a four-pitch walk, respectively, and Batista, who hit only as the team’s designated hitter, did what he does best.
“Freuddy Batista, he’s a veteran guy,” said Knight. “He got a good swing off on that pitch. It was impressive.”
The Modesto offense went cold for seven innings, allowing San Jose to claw back into the game and get within one run in the top of the eighth. The final insurance run came in the bottom half of the inning. Shortstop Edwin Arroyo drew a walk and came around from first to score after one of the Giants’ three throwing errors, making it a 5-3 game.
“The (Giants) made it a one-run game and then if you can get back to two again, quickly sometimes it can be a deflator,” Knight said. “You can’t ever stop. Even if you start strong and you get cold in the middle, you just keep chipping away and hopefully good things happen.”
Michael Morales pitched a gem. The 19-year-old and Mariners’ third-round pick went five innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just two hits and one run and picked up the win. Kelvin Nunez, Josias De Los Santos and Jorge Benitez also saw action, striking out four total. Benitez picked up the save.
The Nuts played one game in their final home series of 2021 before having it canceled due to COVID-19, but Friday night, the atmosphere was nearly perfect: the mini games between innings, the popcorn, the hot dogs, the fans yelling and booing when an umpire made a call they didn’t agree with. A “happy birthday” serenade even broke out and made its way across a section.
It all just felt right.
“This year, it’s felt as normal as it’s been in a long time,” Knight said. “Even going into the game knowing fans are gonna be here and the smells and the sights and the fireworks, it feels like baseball again. So it’s a good feeling.”
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 7:29 AM.
