Fans disappointed Tebow not in lineup
KISSIMMEE — A pitching duel between a pair of lefties kept Tim Tebow out of the starting lineup Saturday in Kissimmee.
An announced crowd of 5,515 at Osceola County Stadium — a season-high for the Florida Fire Frogs — left dejected as Tebow watched from the dugout as the home team pulled out a wild 5-4 win in 15 innings over his St. Lucie Mets.
Anfernee Seymour drove in the winning run on a sacfly to left field for Florida.
Tebow and the Mets round out their only Florida State League series in the area today at 6:05 p.m. and Monday at 7:05 p.m.
“Once we heard he was coming, we had to buy tickets,” said fan Tony Barongi. “It’s disappointing he’s not in the starting lineup because all these people are here to see him.”
The New York transplant of 32 years was dressed in a green No. 15 Jets jersey in honor of the featured attraction. He huddled with a contingent of fans along the rail in right field leading to the visiting clubhouse after traveling more than 20 miles from Davenport.
Tebow, a left-handed hitter and former Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida, briefly stopped to sign autographs before the start of the game. He spent the bulk of pregame in the batting cages.
Tebow drew a noticeable response from the crowd when he tossed a ball to a fan behind the Mets dugout in the top of the fifth.
The crowd became vocal in hopes of a Tebow appearance on the field late in the game. The pleas culminated in a chorus of boos when an unsuspecting Patrick Mazeika was called upon to step to the plate in place of injured Jose Garcia in the top of the eighth.
“He’s special. His story of being a guy who wants to succeed in sports is what it’s all about,” Barongi said of Tebow. “When I saw he was with the Jets I latched right on, and now he’s in the minors with the Mets and I follow the Mets, so it’s exciting.”
The four-game series between the Fire Frogs and the Mets has generated the most excitement at Osceola County Stadium in nearly four months.
Florida entered the series averaging approximately 800 fans per night after drawing 3,283 for its inaugural game on April 6. That debut came on the heels of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros packing up for the final time and leaving the complex for good after the conclusion of spring training in 2016.
Tebow’s arrival has made it feel like spring training in July.
“It’s sort of the same because there’s been a lot of people at these games,” said Tomas Lebron, who has worked as part of the grounds crew at Osceola County Stadium the past 14 years. “Because Tebow is such a big name in sports, that’s what makes this comparable.”
UCF pitcher Joe Rogers entered the game in the sixth for the Fire Frogs and pitched one inning.