By Jack Ankony First baseman K.C. Hobson’s leaping attempt drew leather, but didn’t halt Dylan Kelly’s line drive in the first inning. As the ball trickled into right field, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in game two of the North Division Championship Series. It wasn’t the first-inning performance Dogs ace Jordan [...]
(Former Boston Red Sox and current Chicago Dogs manager Butch Hobson chats with Roger Clemens on the mound.) By Jack Ankony Roger Clemens sported a custom “Rocket Man” shirt as he etched his signature on a foul ball for an 11-year-old fan in section 105 at Impact Field. Meanwhile, Clemens’ former manager Butch [...]
By Jack Ankony Facing a 3-1 count with two runners on, it was time for T.J. Bennett to get picky. Brennan Metzger started the game with a walk, and Michael Crouse followed Metzger’s lead with a single. Together, the two saw nine pitches that revealed the game plan of Sioux Falls starter Blake Svoboda. Bennett [...]
By Jack Ankony Ryan Lidge roped a single in his first at-bat against the Cleburne Railroaders on Aug. 4. When he reached first base safely, Dogs hitting coach Joe Dominiak poked fun at Lidge. “This is first base,” Dominiak told Lidge. “Second is over there, third base is over there.” Dominiak jokingly explained the layout [...]
By Jack Ankony Mystical forces may have been listening to the dugout conversations at Impact Field. As Grant Kay sprinted to third base in the fourth inning of the Chicago Dogs’ 11-7 win over the Kane County Cougars on July 29, manager Butch Hobson tossed his palms to the sky. Kay had to settle [...]
By Jack Ankony The accomplishment of winning his 2,100th game as a manager hasn’t sunk in for Chicago Dogs skipper Butch Hobson, but he is already setting new goals. Hobson began his professional baseball career in 1975 as a 23-year-old third baseman for the Boston Red Sox and is now approaching his 70th birthday in [...]
By Jack Ankony Brennan Metzger’s dance moves entertain the crowd, but his ability to predict the future wins games. As Johnny Adams led off second base in the 10th inning on Tuesday against the Kane County Cougars, Metzger was sitting on a sinker. Having faced Mark Seyler in the past, Metzger knew this pitch was [...]
By Jack Ankony Milwaukee starter Myles Smith fanned 12 Dogs hitters through four and two-thirds innings on Thursday. But the Dogs’ patient leadoff man Brennan Metzger waited back on breaking ball and scorched it over the left field wall. Metzger’s fourth home run of the season tied the game at two runs apiece and was [...]
By Jack Ankony Ryan Haug didn’t let a two-strike count dictate his at-bat. Fighting to do anything he could to reach first base, Haug drove the ball up the middle for a single, igniting the Dogs’ offense in the eighth inning. Brennan Metzger executed a textbook bunt to advance Haug to second base as the [...]
By Jack Ankony The 2020 American Association stolen base leader Michael Crouse swiped both second and third base in the fourth inning to up his 2021 stolen base total to 15. Two pitches later, Dogs’ three-hitter Danny Mars belted a fly ball deep enough to Brett Vertigan in centerfield to score Crouse on a sacrifice [...]