The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Captains, Loons preparing for playoffs
Lake County catcher Rolette forced from game with leg injury
Great Lakes (Mich.) Loons manager John Shoemaker, a veteran of 26 years managing in the minor leagues, appreciates the symmetry of this particular season. Shoemaker and the Loons were at Classic Park on Aug. 31 to open a threegame series against the Captains that ends the Midwest League regular season.
After a day’s respite, the two teams will be back at it in Eastlake on Sept. 4 in Game 1 of the best-ofthree MWL Eastern Division semifinals.
The Loons and Captains punched early tickets to the postseason by finishing first and second in the MWL Eastern in the first half. Their records were 4324 and 40-29, respectively.
The Loons, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Captains opened the regular season on April 4 at Classic Park. The Captains prevailed, 4-0, and followed up with 6-1 victory the next day.
On June 9, also at Classic Park, the Loons clinched the first-half title with a 5-0 whitewashing of the Captains.
Now, the two teams will begin their quest for the Midwest League title at the same venue.
“It’s the beginning, middle and end with the Loons and Captains,” Shoemaker said before the Loons rolled to a 6-0 victory in the series opener.
Shoemaker was drafted by the Dodgers in 1977 as an infielder out of Miami University. He retired after the 1980 season and joined the Dodgers’ minor-league staff as a coach in 1981.
The 63-year-old native of Waverly, Ohio, is wellacquainted with minorleague baseball’s postseason. As manager, he guided the Savannah (Ga.) Sand Gnats to the South Atlantic League title in 1996 and the Jacksonville Suns to Southern League titles in 2001 and 2005.
Recently honored as the 2019 Midwest League Manager of the Year, Shoemaker earned that honor in the Southern League in 2001. His all-time managerial record is 1,818-1,679.
Shoemaker understands that attendance tends to be on the low side for playoff games at every level of the minor leagues. The Labor Day holiday has passed, kids are in school and the attention of many sports fans has turned to football.
“We play a lot of games in the regular season without many people in the stands,” Shoemaker said. “These are really important games in the playoffs. Both teams will be playing hard and playing to win.”
With their win on Aug. 31, the Loons moved ahead in the season series, 6-5. The rosters of both teams have changed markedly since April because of player moves and injuries.
“Neither team has an advantage. They’ve seen us with most of our new people, we’ve seen them with most of their new people,” Shoemaker said. “Once the playoffs start, everything depends on the guy you have on the mound.” Shoemaker and Captains manager Luke Carlin haven’t yet named their starting pitchers for Game 1.
As for the opener of the current series, the Loons got to Lake County starter and eventual loser Alex Royalty (6-9, 4.54 ERA) for four runs in the top of the second innings and never looked back.
The Captains managed only three hits against Great Lakes starter and eventual winner Zach Willeman (4-7, 5.39 ERA) and reliever Edward Cuello. Lake County catcher Josh Rolette was removed from the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when his right leg appeared to collapse while he was running to second base.