Sacramento River Cats

Raley Field Filled With Fun And Music At Fourth Annual Brewfest

2010-05-17T02:42:25Z

Friday night was full of dancing, food and, of course, lots of beer, at the Fourth Annual Raley Field Brewfest.

About 3,000 people were on hand to taste beers from 36 breweries.

Cameron Davis, 29, from Amador County, said the selection of beer was amazing.

“There are a lot of breweries here," he said. "It’s been great to try all of these beers from the California area.”

Amanda Wallace, 21, came from Placerville, and said she was excited to attend her first Brewfest.

“It’s fun, the beer is good,” she said. “I like it so far. It is a good event.”

In addition to beer tasting, there were food vendors and two stages with live music at the West Sacramento stadium.

Non-drinkers were welcome, too, and could stroll around the stadium as the field was set up for the River Cats’ next home game on Thursday.

Sacramentan Hares MaGee, 24, was enjoying the music. “It’s really great to have live bands out here,” he said.

It was his first year at Brewfest, but he said it won't be his last.

“Most definitely I will come back again,” MaGee said. “If Sacramento has something like this a lot, then I’ll be here every year.”

Dan and Link Vickers said they came to Brewfest from Placerville for the camaraderie and to have a good time.

“Yes the beer tasting’s first, it’s great,” Dan Vickers said. “But the friendship -- I’m with my cousin from Sacramento and my wife -- is second.”

Dej Boerner, Janet Pereira and Kate Strand agreed that the cider was their favorite drink.

“It’s been good," Pereira, 31, said of Brewfest. "There are a lot of people here,” the Sacramentan added. “It’s been fun to people watch.”

Matt Gurrieo from Vacaville said that it was the River Cats’ stadium that enticed him to attend.

“I am not really a beer drinker. I am just enjoying the atmosphere,” he said. “I’ve never been to Raley Field and I am a big baseball and Giants fan.”

Gurrieo said he'll be back in Sacramento soon.

“I want to come back here again to catch a River Cats game,” he said.

As the night went on, the crowd discovered a new pasttime: throwing their sample glasses into the air.

It was the second time Katie Strand, 25, from Sacramento, attended Brewfest.

She said that even though there was a lot of drinking, things weren't getting out of hand.

“It’s amazing; everyone’s really nice tonight,” she said.

River Cats Begin Second Season

2009-09-11T11:02:41Z

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.-After winning their eighth PCL South Division championship in 10 years, the Sacramento River Cats (86-57) are headed to the postseason, yet again.

Sacramento is taking on the Tacoma Rainiers (74-70) of the Pacific North Division. They were 9-7 against the Rainiers in the regular season. The River Cats’ pursuit of a third straight Pacific Coast League and Triple-A title got off to a good start on Wednesday.

Veteran right-hander Chris Gissell had one of his best performances on the mound this season. He gave up seven hits and two earned runs and had six strikeouts in five innings of work. Brett Wallace and Chris Carter both hit home runs as Sacramento cruised to an 8-2 victory over Tacoma for a 1-0 series lead.

The best-of-five series continues Thursday night as Chad Reineke (9-4, 4.75) takes the mound for the River Cats. Reineke will face Garrett Olson (2-3, 4.94) of the Rainiers. If Sacramento were to win that game, they would have a chance to sweep the series at Raley Field on Family Fun Friday at 7:05 p.m. Even if Sacramento does not clinch the series on Friday, the River Cats will have a chance to win the series Saturday at 7:05 p.m. or Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

If the River Cats win their first round series against Tacoma they will face the winner of the Memphis Redbirds-Albuquerque Isotopes series.

If Sacramento can advance to the PCL Championship Series they will play the first two games on the road Sept. 15 and 16. The River Cats would once again have a chance to win the series at home as games 3 (Sept. 18), 4 (Sept. 19) and 5 (Sept. 20) will be at Raley Field.

If the River Cats win the PCL Championship Series they will advance to the Tripe-A Championship Game in Oklahoma City, Okla. On Sept. 22. The game will air on ESPN2.

The River Cats promotional schedule will be the same during the playoffs.

PCL Pacific Conference Championship Series (Round 1)
Gm. 1: RIVER CATS 8, RAINIERS 2 (Cats lead series 1-0)
Gm. 2: Thursday, Sept. 10 at Tacoma (7 p.m.)
Gm. 3: Friday, Sept. 11 at Raley Field (7:05 p.m.)
Gm. 4: Sat., Sept. 12 at Raley Field (7:05 p.m.) - if necessary
Gm. 5: Sun., Sept. 13 at Raley Field (1:05 p.m.) - if necessary

The River Cats Return to Raley Field For Their Final Homestand Of The Season

2009-08-22T18:25:22Z

The Sacramento River Cats return home for the final home stanza of the regular season after an amazing road trip in which they went 7-1.

The homestand begins Saturday night with a four-game series with the Portland Beavers. The River Cats will be honoring three local heroes in Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker and Chicago Cubs first baseman Derek Lee. The first 1,500 people in attendance will get to choose from the three bobbleheads. The person whose bobblehead runs out first will be named the 2009 River Cats High School Hero.

The fans in attendance should be excited to see Dana Eveland (8-4, 4.94) take the mound for Sacramento against Wade LeBlanc (3-9, 4.11).

The Highway 99 rivalry comes to a close for the 2009 season beginning Wednesday. The River Cats will take on the Fresno Grizzlies in the most anticipated series of the season. As of August 21 the River Cats have 12.5 game lead over Fresno for the PCL Pacific South Division lead with just 17 games left to go in the regular season. Sacramento’s magic number to win the division is at five games. Coincidently, their series with Fresno is a five-game series.

The Highway 99 series will be a busy five days at Raley Field. Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. start is German Heritage Night, Thursday night is Happy Hour with Miller Lite’s ‘Que & Brew, Friday is the River Cats’ Summer of ’69 celebration on top of 49ers Faithful Night, Saturday the River Cats will honor their affiliate the Oakland Athletics with a tribute to their 1989 World Series title over the San Francisco Giants, the Fresno Grizzlies affiliate. The River Cats final home game of the season is on Sunday August 30. Not only is it Kids Day at Raley Field but it is also Fan Appreciation Day to honor all the River Cat faithful for all their support this season.

Game Schedule
August 22 –7:05 p.m.
August 23 – 1:05 p.m.
August 24 – 7:05 p.m.
August 25 – 7:05 p.m.
August 26 – 7:05 p.m.
August 27 – 7:05 p.m.
August 28 – 7:05 p.m.
August 29 – 7:05 p.m.
August 30 – 1:05 p.m.

River Cats Begin The Dog Days of Summer With a Big Home Stand

2009-08-06T01:59:52Z

August is the month where they separate the men from the boys. The Sacramento River Cats look to be one of the upper-tier teams in the Pacific Coast League. Tickets for the first round of the playoffs went on sale Wednesday at Raley Field. Even though Tony DeFrancesco’s club has a 7.5 game lead over their rival the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific South Division, Sacramento still feels they must always look in the rear-view mirror to see which team is creeping up behind them. The River Cats begin an eight-game home stand tonight that will go a long ways in deciding who they might face down the road in the playoffs.

Sacramento begins its home stand against the Oklahoma City RedHawks. As of Wednesday, Oklahoma City (55-54) is 5 games behind the Albuquerque Isotopes for the American South Division lead. James Simmons (6-5, 5.38) takes the mound Wednesday against Elizardo Ramirez (7-8, 4.19) in what promises to be a run-scoring affair. Happy Hour on Thursday begins with Miller Lite ‘Que & Brew at Raley Field. Friday and Saturday are big nights for the River Cats. Friday is Library Night and Raider Nation Night at the ballpark. Kids who participated in the River Cats Summer Reading Program can enjoy a night at the stadium, while in the process meet Raiders legend Jim Otto who will be signing autographs during the game. Sacramento finishes up their series with the RedHawks on Saturday. Saturday is Elk Grove Night Featuring Brad Kilby and Family and Faith Night at Raley Field. Kilby will be honored before his hometown fans and Radical Reality will give a pregame demonstration of strength with River Cat players.

The River Cats begin a four-game series on Sunday with another team from the American South Division. Sacramento will host the New Orleans Zephyrs to rap up the home stand. Shawn Chacon (4-4, 6.94) is scheduled to start for the River Cats Sunday evening. Chacon will look to forget his previous outing at the Portland Beavers Monday with a fast start on Sunday against New Orleans. Against Portland Chacon gave up six hits and six runs in just 3.2 innings of work in the loss. The series finishes up on August 12 with US Bank AAA School Day Schools will be going to Raley Field for a fun, safe and educational field trip in the morning and some midday baseball afterwards.

The River Cats are happy to be home after splitting a four-game series at the Portland Beavers. The series was full of emotions for both teams as the margin of victory in each game was never higher than two runs. Catcher Eric Munson delivered with a two-run home run in the top of the ninth on August 2 to help Sacramento win game one of the series 4-2. Less than 24 hours later third baseman Brett Wallace lifted the River Cats to victory with a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth off of Edwin Moreno as Sacramento won 2-1. The Beavers salvaged the series with back-to-back wins. Center fielder Drew Macias continued his timely hitting with a line-drive single to left off of Jay Marshall for the game-winning run as Portland won 3-2 in 12 innings. As of August 5, Sacramento is 13-4 in extra inning ballgames. The series wrapped up with Chacon’s 6-5 defeat. Sunday was just not a smooth ballgame for the River Cats.

Sacramento added more depth to their pitching staff on Wednesday with the signing of veteran Brett Tomko. Tomko will look to provide some veteran leadership as the River Cats look to make a run down the stretch.

Game Schedule
August 5 – 7:05 p.m.
August 6 – 7:05 p.m.
August 7 – 7:05 p.m.
August 8 – 7:05 p.m.
August 9 – 6:05 p.m.
August 10 – 7:05 p.m.
August 11 – 7:05 p.m.
August 12 – 11:35 a.m.

Sacramento Happy To Be Home After A Long Road Trip

2009-07-28T01:07:30Z

West Sacramento, Calif. - The Sacramento River Cats are happy to be back at the friendly confines of Raley Field after spending most of July on the road. The team will host the Salt Lake Bees in a quick four-game series before Sacramento goes back on the road.

Salt Lake could very well be the River Cats’ first-round opponent in the playoffs. The Bees are only four games behind the Colorado Springs Sky Sox for first-place in the Pacific North Division. The South Division winner will play the North Division winner in the first round.

The Series kicks off Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. when Shawn Chacon will take the mound for Sacramento. Newly acquired third baseman Brett Wallace and pitcher Clay Mortensen will make their highly anticipated home debuts as well.

Make sure to bring the young ones to Tuesday’s game, because kids 12 and under will receive a free Jr. Hot Dog, 12 oz. soda and bag of chips.

Tony DeFrancesco’s squad will look forward to finish July at home. As of Monday, the River Cats are only 14-8 this month.

River Cats fans should also look forward to Thursday’s Miller Lite ‘Que & Brew, which is the best way to start Happy Hour. On Friday night, as part of the team’s 10th season celebration, the first 1,500 fans will receive their choice of an Eric Byrnes or Nick Swisher bobblehead. Friday is also Family Fun Night ($1 ice cream and $1 hot dogs) and IndyCar Night.

Each game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m.

Homestand schedule
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. vs. Salt Lake – Kids Eat Free!
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. vs. Salt Lake
Thursday, 7:05 p.m. vs. Salt Lake – Happy Hour starts with Miller Lite ‘Que & Brew ($2 Miller Lites)
Friday, 7:05 p.m. vs. Salt Lake – 10th Season Bobbleheads (first 1,500 fans get choice between Nick Swisher and Eric Byrnes); Family Fun Friday ($1 hot dogs and $1 ice cream); IndyCart Night.

Cats Happy To Be Home

2009-07-14T22:41:59Z

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After a much-needed three days off for the All-Star break, the Sacramento River Cats return to action at Raley Field on Thursday night to begin a four-game homestand with a PCL Pacific South Division foe, the Reno Aces. It’s Sacramento only weekend homestand this month.

Sacramento hopes some home cooking will help them start the second half as the finished the first: dominating the league. The River Cats ended the first half of the season on a hard-fought road trip in which they went 5-4. Although Sacramento does enjoy a 10.5 game lead over the second-place Reno Aces in the division, Reno is hot right now. The Aces leapfrogged the struggling Fresno Grizzlies and they will look to get ever so closer to the River Cats for the division lead.

Since coming off the disabled list, third baseman Jeff Baisley has been in the zone. He hit a two-out, two-strike two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning against Fresno on Sunday to help send the game into extra innings. In their 15th extra inning game, Sacramento won in 12 innings as shortstop Cliff Pennington hit a line drive to right field for an RBI-double to score the go-ahead run. The River Cats would go on to score two more times in the inning to win 10-7 heading into the break.

Homestand schedule

Thursday, 7:05 first pitch: Happy Hour starts with Miller Lite ‘Que & Brew, which has an ‘80s twist this week.

Friday, 7:05 first pitch: It’s Snow Day at Raley Field, where the River Cats and Interstate Batteries bring a snow park, complete with a sled run and a kids area for snow-ball play and snow-man building. Activities go from 5 -8 p.m. Friday is also Family Fun Friday, with $1 hot dogs and $1 ice creams all game long.

Saturday, 7:05 p.m. first pitch: For the 6th straight year, the River Cats have partnered with Komen for the Cure to present Swing for the Cure, a fundraising event to benefit breast cancer awareness and research. After the game will be postgame fireworks.

Sunday, 1:05 first pitch: Dinger, the Sacramento River Cats’ mascot, celebrates his 10th birthday with a Birthday Bash. Catch the mascot kickball game at noon.

In The Heat Of Summer The River Cats Are In The Middle Of A Sizzling Pennant Race

2009-07-01T00:27:15Z

As the Sacramento River Cats finish up a four game-series with the Las Vegas 51s, the Fresno Grizzlies and Reno Aces are in Sacramento’s rear-view mirror in the PCL Pacific South Division standings.

The River Cats are in the middle of a pennant race, and July will go a long way in deciding who wins the division. Sacramento plays Fresno and Reno eight times each in July.

Sacramento begins the month with a three-game series at Raley Field against Fresno. As of Tuesday, the River Cats are six games ahead of the Grizzlies in the division. Sacramento then goes on the road for their longest road trip of the season, starting with four in Reno. The Aces trail the River Cats by seven games in the division. On July 8 they travel to Fresno to take on the Grizzlies in a humongous five-game series.

The River Cats get a much-needed three-day break, as the All-Star break is July 13-15. The second half of the season kicks off at Raley Field when the River Cats play Reno in a quick three-game stanza before hitting the road again for eight games.

Sacramento will begin their series with Fresno on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Shawn Chacon (1-1, 3.46) will take the mound for the River Cats and Ramon Ortiz (1-1, 2.96) will be pitching for the Grizzlies in what should be a great pitching matchup.

Although the River Cats do not play the Reno Aces until July 4, manager Tony DeFrancesco and his squad are already trying to figure out how they are going to stop center fielder Alex Romero. As of Tuesday Romero is batting .348 with a slugging percentage of .879.

The River Cats will play the winner of the Pacific North Division in the first round of the playoffs. At the moment it looks like that will be the Sky Sox or the Bees (5 games behind). The Portland Beavers (9.5 games behind) and the Tacoma Rainiers (10 games behind) are still in the picture but are fading fast.

Sacramento has won 32 of their last 47 games since beginning the season 15-15. The River Cats hope the great pitching and timely hitting they have received thus far continues through the second half of the season.

Take A Break From Work At Raley Field

2009-06-21T01:41:58Z

In a battle of two first-place teams, Gio Gonzalez (4-1) will take the mound for the River Cats. On the other side, Adam Eaton (2-0) will look to help the Sky Sox shut down Sacramento’s hot offense.

What better way to spend your lunch break than a ballgame at Raley Field? Wednesday, the Sacramento River Cats are offering the Businessperson’s Special.

The package includes a ticket in the Delta Box, a hot dog, drinks and peanuts at the great price of $15.

Come take an extended lunch break from work and watch two of the best teams the Pacific Coast League has to offer. The River Cats (43-25) taken on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (39-29) in day-baseball.

Patterson Brings New Weapon to DeFrancesco’s Arsenal

2009-06-18T20:51:10Z

The greatest thing about baseball is that from game to game you never know what is going to happen.

One day your team can be involved in a pitchers’ duel and the next day there is a home run derby at the ballpark.

One of the most rare and exciting plays in baseball is when the runner steals home. River Cats fans have been lucky enough to witness this play successfully executed twicethis season.

Center fielder Eric Patterson was the speed racer on third in both instances. He first stole home on April 28 against the Las Vegas 51s to provide the winning margin in a 3-2 triumph. He did it again on May 19 against the Round Rock Express as part of an ever rarer triple steal.

“The pitcher has to be slow to the plate, he has to be going into his wind-up, he really just has to not be paying attention to you,” Patterson said.“That is something I will look at and something Tony (DeFrancesco) will look at. If we have a good feeling about it he will say, ‘Hey, go and take it.’ From there it is just about getting a good lead, getting a good jump and hopefully the hitter doesn’t swing.”

For DeFrancesco, the art of stealing home is not rocket science.

“The first thing is (whether) the runner on third (is fast enough) and (whether) the pitcher’s delivery (is slow enough),” said the manager, who also serves as the team’s third-base coach.“If (the pitcher) is in the stretch it doesn’t even come into play.”

In actuality, there are few more factors that come into play -- the personnel on the field, the pitch count, if the pitcher is a right-hander or left-hander and the whether the batter may be in a slump.

That Patterson and DeFrancesco have teamed up to successfully implement this rare feat is amazing in its own right. Although fast as a kid, stealing home was never a dream of Patterson’s while growing up.

“I think I’ve done it one other time before this season,” he said. “It may have been something I had done once in summer ball when I was 16. It is something that is not common for me and probably not common for other guys.”

This type of baseball is unusual to DeFrancesco, as well.

“This is something new to me,” he said.“I’ve never done it before except for maybe one time in 15 years. Twice in one year is pretty special.”

Although rare, stealing home plate is a big part of baseball lore. The most famous example of the play took place during Game 1 of the 1955 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Jackie Robinson stole home in the eighth inning to bring the Dodgers within a run. The Dodgers lost the game 6-5, but stunned the rival Yankees in seven games for the title.

Ivan Rodriguez, Carl Crawford and most recently Jacoby Ellsbury have also pulled off the play.

“You see the highlights on ESPN Classic,” Patterson said.“At that present time you don’t really think about it. You just are trying to focus on what you are trying to do.”

Against Las Vegas in April, DeFrancesco was trying to give his team a late lead.

“I said, ‘Hey, the guy’s in the wind-up.What do you think?’” DeFrancesco said, recalling his exchange with Patterson. “(Eric) made the comment, ‘I got it.’ I said ‘Well, then go for it,’

“That is how simple the communication is. It is not very complex.”

According to Patterson, against Round Rock “(I had to) make sure I got a good lead, to get out there far enough, that way I don’t have as much ground to cover. The pitcher was really slow to the plate. He wasn’t paying attention to me at third base. I was way off (during the) first couple of pitches when he was going to the plate. I saw the pitcher go into his motion; I just took off and darted for home plate.”

Now that the play has worked twice this year, the call is always lingering in the back of DeFrancesco’s mind.

“If I see a guy in a wind-up I think about stealing home,” he said. “I’m going to make sure if I am going to do that I’m going to take my highest-percentage runner to make it successful because there’s a chance you’re going to make an out there if it is not executed right.”

DeFrancesco wanted to make it clear that the call to steal home is not something just meant for Patterson. It depends on the situation and each of his players has to be ready to go.

“I think Carson could steal it, obviously Patterson,” the manager said. “There are a lot of guys on the team who could (steal home plate).”

As of May 13, Patterson leads the team and ranks tied for second in the Pacific Coast League with 25 stolen bases.

“I have pretty good instincts and I definitely feel comfortable running the base-pads,” Patterson said. “(Stealing home) is not very common in baseball, it does not happen a whole lot. To have a manager who has confidence in your ability and your instincts to give you the green light to go ahead to do that is big for me as a player. I love it,” Patterson said.

Cats Win Big Series, Head Home For Bigger Home Stand

2009-06-18T20:03:39Z

The Sacramento River Cats are back home beginning tonight for the start of an eight-game home stand. They begin their four-game series with the Salt Lake Bees tonight as former River Cat and now Oakland A’s second baseman Mark Ellis returns to Sacramento as a River Cat for a rehab assignment.

The Bees have suddenly exploded as one of the top-tier teams in the PCL. Sacramento has a much-needed day off Monday before they finish their home stand with another big four-game series with another squad from the PCL Pacific North Division, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Sacramento split their last four-game series with Colorado Springs just two weeks ago.

The River Cats finished up a quick three-game series at the Fresno Grizzlies on Wednesday night.

Sacramento and Fresno have been battling for first place in the PCL Pacific South Division all season long. The series did not begin well for the River Cats. The Grizzlies jumped to an early lead. The River Cats tried to come back but fell just short as they lost 6-5.

The next night was a classic. Sacramento trailed early 3-1 when left fielder Danny Putnam tied the game with a home run off of Ramon Ortiz deep into the left field crowd. Sacramento would take a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. Ryan Webb struggled in the bottom of the inning. He gave up a single and then hit a batter. Catcher Nestor Rojas then doubled to center field to bring home both runners.

It looked as if Sacramento had won the game again when Aaron Cunningham and Eric Munson hit back-to-back doubles to make the score 7-5 River Cats. The lead was short-lived. Left fielder John Bowker hit a two-run home run off of Jerry Blevins to tie the game once again.

Patterson stepped up in the clutch again for Sacramento in the 10th. With Matt Carson on third, Patterson flew out to center field to bring him home. Jeff Gray quickly closed out the game in the bottom of the inning to end the game.

The rubber-match of the series was never in question for the River Cats. They hit an amazing eight home runs in the game as they cruised to a 19-3 victory. Sacramento is now five games ahead of Fresno for the division lead.