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Loons Fans Top 25 Moments of 2013

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Top-25-Moments

The Great Lakes Loons enjoyed an incredible seventh season in 2013, one that culminated in the franchise’s third Midwest League playoff berth in its seven-year history. There were ups and downs, winning streaks and losing streaks, joy and heartbreak. In the end, there were the memories. From three players tying a Loons record for most RBI in a single game to four of the Los Angeles Dodgers top nine prospects passing through Midland at the same time to some of the funnest (or most fun, whatever) promotions in Minor League Baseball. And of course, the Loons players that Loons fans came to know and love. Over the past few weeks, those Loons fans have been voting on the Top 25 Loons Moments of 2013 on the Great Lakes Loons Facebook page. The votes have been tallied and now we have what I think is a pretty awesome list of great memories from the 2013 season at Dow Diamond. Counting down from No. 25 to the top moment of 2013, here’s the list of Loons fans’ top memories of this season:

Zooperstars---June-2325. ZOOperstars appearance: Always an entertaining group to have at the ballpark, the ZOOperstars bring an eclectic bunch of characters to entertain the crowd. The animal characters, whose names are all a play of words off a famous athlete, each have their own personality, but every one of them knows how to make fans laugh. The four ZOOperstars that came to Dow Diamond on June 23: Dennis Frogman, Harry Canary, Mackerel Jordan and Shark McGwire.

24. Malcolm Holland walk-offAfter struggling through May, the Loons had put together six wins in a row coming into a home game against West Michigan on June 12. After a low-scoring game could not be decided after just nine innings, the Loons and Whitecaps went to extra innings. Great Lakes threatened in the 10th, but couldn’t score. In the 11th, Robbie Garvey singled and stole second base before Holland hit a single through the left side to score him for the game-winning run.

23. Mascot Mania: One of MiLB’s best social media contests put Lou E. Loon front and center in late July. For two weeks, #MascotMania (@greatlakesloons) consumed the Loons fan base, including a hectic race to the finish in the Loons front office. The Loons Ambassador of Fun enjoyed a tremendous amount of support from Loons fans and finished second in the Midwest League.

Mascot Mania

22. Fireworks Loontaculars, powered by Dow CorningFireworks Loontaculars, powered by Dow Corning, are one of the biggest draws at Dow Diamond. Loons fans poured through the gates for 14 of them in 2013.

Capellan-480-321. Jose Capellan’s 6-RBI nightJeremy Rathjen and Corey Seager were the first to do it in 2013 (more on that later), but Jose Capellan’s six-RBI night was certainly the least expected of the group. He became the sixth player in franchise history to drive in six runs in one game on August 19 and did it in a huge spot. Great Lakes came into that game on a five-game losing streak and were losing their grip on a postseason berth. Behind Capellan’s big night, the Loons picked up a 12-5 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Capellan went 2-for-3 in the game with two bases-loaded doubles that cleared the bases.

20. Loons win eight of 10 in late August to secure a playoff spot: As we already mentioned, the Loons came into their game against Fort Wayne on August 19 on a five-game losing streak and it looked like they might lose their grip on what had appeared to be a sure trip to the postseason. But then the Loons ripped off eight wins in 10 games between August 19 and August 29, including two home wins over Dayton to seal a spot in the postseason.

19. Turnaround from May to June: The Loons had one of the worst months in franchise history in May, going 7-23, but bounced back in June, behind a rejuvenated pitching staff, a healthy Corey Seager and Leo Rodriguez hitting .300. Great Lakes posted an 18-9 record to put themselves right back in the thick of the MWL playoff chase.

SB-Series

Garvey and Taylor both had three hits in a 15-1 win over South Bend on June 8.

18. 15-1 win over South Bend in early June: As Great Lakes returned to Dow Diamond on June 8 to start a six-game homestand with a game against the first-place Silver Hawks, they had lost 10 of their last 13 games, so Loons fans really didn’t expect to see any kind of offensive outburst that night or that series. But that’s what they got. Behind three-hit games from Garvey and Kevin Taylor, who were just two of the five Loons with multi-hit games that night, the Loons crushed South Bend, 15-1, in game one of the series and outscored the Silver Hawks, 31-4, while sweeping the series.

17. Raining Money Night, presented by Chemical BankDuring Raining Money Night, presented by Chemical Bank,  on August 23, $2,000 in cash was dropped from a helicopter onto the Dow Diamond field, giving a group of lucky Loons fans the chance to win as much money as they could pick up! It was almost as much fun for those watching as it was for those on the field.

16. Country Western Night: On a night that saw Lou E. Loon ride a mechanical bull and a man with a banjo play the seventh inning stretch, Dow Diamond drew a single-game record crowd of 6,189. That crowd saw the Loons pick up a key 2-1 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts.

15. Miguel Sulbaran’s performance in June & early July: Sulbaran struggled out of the gate, posting a 5.26 ERA over 37 2/3 innings in his first 11 appearances this season, while allowing opponents to hit for a batting average of .309. However, from June 9 through July 13, Sulbaran allowed just three earned runs over 40 innings in seven appearances, six of which were starts. That is a 0.68 ERA, which is filthy. Sulbaran also had an excellent 1.00 WHIP and a 31-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio during the seven-game stretch.

14. Geoff Brown named a Midwest League Postseason All-StarLoons reliever Geoff Brown finished the season with 12 wins, second-most in franchise history, tying him for the league lead. Brown earned a spot on the Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team. Brown had a 2.08 ERA over 78 innings pitched, along with a 1.01 WHIP and a .208 opponents batting average. He also had a 56-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not bad for a guy who was pitching in Australia in 2011 and in the Frontier League for most of 2012.

13. Chicago Boyz appearanceThe Chicago Boyz Acrobatic Team came to Dow Diamond on July 27 to be a part of Lou E.’s Big Top Loontacular. The national act wowed the Dow Diamond crowd with same amazing athletic feats. Just a few weeks later, Loons fans watched them appear on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

12. Lou E.’s Big Top Loontacular: One of Loons fans’ favorite nights every year, Dow Diamond turned into a carnival, entertaining fans of all ages.

11. Jose Capellan walk-off: In one of the best games of the season at Dow Diamond, Capellan hit a single into center field to score Jeremy Rathjen for the game-winning run, giving the Loons an 8-7 victory over Lansing after the Lugnuts had scored four runs in the top of the ninth to force extra innings. Capellan’s single capped a three-game sweep over Lansing and sent the Dow Diamond crowd into a frenzy.

Loons win - Three Rivers, Ayre Rhinehart, Garber, FP Horak, JE Johnson, The H, Michigan Blood, Dow, Chemical Bank, Marriott, Consumers, TV 5, SVSU, Big E's, Fisher, Miller Lite, Warner Norcross & Judd (5)

10. Jeremy Rathjen’s 6-RBI night: The lanky outfielder from Texas was the first Loon this season to pick up six RBI in one game and at the time, was the fourth player in Loons history to do it.  Rathjen’s big day led the Loons to an 11-0 victory over South Bend on June 9, which was the second game in the three-game series against the Silver Hawks in which the Loons outscored them, 31-4.

9. Three 6,000-plus crowds at Dow Diamond: In the first six seasons of Loons baseball, there were seven crowds of over 6,000 people at Dow Diamond. In 2013, there were three: July 3, August 10 and August 22.

8. Rathjen’s grand slam on August 23: Before Capellan walked off against Lansing to complete the sweep, Rathjen had what looked to be the biggest hit of the game and maybe the season. In a crucial game with huge playoff implications, the Loons and Lugnuts were tied 3-3 in the seventh inning.  Rathjen stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a 2-0 pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam that seemed like it would the difference in a Loons victory.

Julio-Urias-start---July-37. Julio Urias’ start on July 3The Dodgers No. 4 prospect had arguably the best start of his young career against the Whitecaps on July 3. Urias was filthy, holding West Michigan scoreless on two hits over six innings, while striking out eight and issuing zero walks in an 8-0 Loons win.

6. Julio Urias’ professional debut16-year-old Julio Urias debuted on May 26 as one of the youngest players in professional baseball history. Urias struck out the side in the first inning and held Dayton scoreless over three innings of work. Urias finished the game with six strikeouts and only one walk.

5. New Loons records: Three Loons players set new single-season records for Great Lakes in 2013. Tyler Ogle set new Loons single-season records for walks and on-base percentage, while Jeremy Rathjen set a new single-season record in ‘hit by a pitch’ and Luis Meza set a new mark for appearances.

4. Turn-Back-The-Clock NightThe Loons turned back the clock on July 2 as part of the Michigan Legends Series. The jerseys worn by Great Lakes were auctioned to fans immediately following the game.

Loons-clinch---Aug-293. Loons clinch third playoff berth in franchise historyWith a 3-0 win over the Dayton Dragons on August 29, the Loons secured their third playoff in the seven-year history of the organization. Great Lakes got four scoreless innings from Dodgers No. 7 prospect Chris Anderson and 3 2/3 scoreless innings from Brandon Martinez. Luis Meza pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close the game for the Loons and set up Great Lakes manager Razor Shines for a Gatorade bath.

2. Aaron Miller’s return to the Loons as an outfielder: Miller was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2009 draft out of Baylor and made his Loons debut on August 2, 2009. In seven starts for Great Lakes in 09, he was 3-1, with a 2.08 ERA and a 38-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Miller got the win in the first playoff victory in Loons history. After the Dodgers made the decision to switch him from pitcher to outfielder, he returned to Midland in late May as a position player. Miller spent the year in the heart of the Loons lineup and closed the season strong, hitting .314 in August.

1. Seager Goes HamThe hype train surrounding Corey Seager was crazy heading into the 2013 season. The younger brother of Major Leaguer Kyle Seager, Corey was the Dodgers No. 1 draft pick from 2012 and at the time he was listed as the No. 3 prospect in LA’s farm system. Although he struggled out of the gate, he hit his stride when summer arrived, hitting .338 in June and .330 in July. On July 29, he gave Loons fans a moment they won’t forget any time soon, hitting two home runs and driving in five RBI in a 9-0 win over Lake County. In his first at-bat, he hit a 357-foot opposite field home run for the Loons first run of the ballgame. When he came up again in the second inning, he crushed a 420-foot grand slam that landed in the Dow Diamond parking lot and put Great Lakes ahead 7-0.

Corey-Seager

It was a great season in Midland. I’ll leave you with the Loons highlight video from the 2013 season. Can’t wait to see everybody back at Dow Diamond in 2014.



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