Just before first pitch on opening night in Reading on Thursday.On my way back from Pittsburgh on Thursday, I stopped by Reading for Opening Night at First Energy Stadium. Vance Worley, on the mound above, was not sharp from the get-go and the Reading Phillies' hitters were missing more than not. The Portland Sea Dogs, on the other hand, kept getting on base, running wild, and scoring. When it started raining, most in the crowd of 7,000+ melted into the warm night. Few were around for the dispiriting 10-5 final.
Last night I saw some of game 2 on TV. It was the first start for Philippe Aumont, who, like Worley, was out-of-sorts from the start. The Sea Dog pitcher was getting by on guile. When the R-Phils took a 3-1 lead, sure enough Aumont walked the first guy he saw and within minutes the Sea Dogs had tied things up. Back and forth it went. Not a pretty game but in the end, on a mufflers-and-mittens evening, the Reading Phillies prevailed 7-5.
Both nights featured tight, if not erratic, strike zones from the umpires.
