Dragons 4, Silver Hawks 1
Highlights: The Dragons, now 12-4 in the second half, kept hold of first place in the Eastern Division and have won eight of their last nine games with a mix of solid pitching and timely offense. Juan Duran and Donald Lutz were both 2-for-3, while Billy Hamilton was 2-for-4.
Turning point: Dayton kept rolling behind Lutz, whose 13th home run of the year in the second inning broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Dragons the lead for good. The Dragons added two runs in the fourth inning off two South Bend errors.
Pitching story: Starter Daniel Renken struck out eight, walked two and gave up five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He dropped his ERA for the season to 3.75. Renken recovered nicely from having to sit through the sellout celebration before returning to the mound for the sixth inning. "I was worried about him," manager Delino DeShields said, "but he seemed find." Blaine Howell pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings while the ever-dominant Drew Hayes struck out three in the ninth for his 14th save.
On deck: Right-hander Kyle Lotzkar (0-1, 6.39) takes on South Bend right-hander Bradin Hagens (4-3, 4.31) today. It's the Dragons' first 4 p.m. Sunday start of the season and can be heard on WONE-AM (980).
DAYTON — For a few innings anyway, except for the “D” and “815” painted on the field in front of both dugouts, and maybe an extra spring in the steps of certain executives, it seemed like any other Saturday night at Fifth Third Field.
By the end of the fifth, however, Dayton Dragons General Manager Gary Mayse had tears in his eyes, fans high-fived and the 11 ½-year-old minor-league baseball team that some believed would never make it here had the professional sports record for consecutive sellouts all to itself.
“Fans are congratulating me and I’m congratulating them right back,” Eric Deutsch, the team’s vice president, said after streamers and balloons were released and a three-minute video — complete with congratulatory messages from Reds manager Dusty Baker, Dragons part owners Magic Johnson and Archie Griffin and several politicians — played on the scoreboard.
Sellout No. 815 broke a tie with the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, who sold out 814 consecutive games from 1977 to 1995.
“Congratulations, Dragons fans, you have just set the all-time consecutive sellout streak record in all of professional sports,” public address announcer Ben Oburn told 8,688 fans as they stood and applauded.
Also applauding were the Dragons players and coaches, assembled in front of their dugout, four innings from securing a 4-1 Midwest League victory over the South Bend Silver Hawks and tightening their grip on first place.
For an additional touch, mascots Heater and Gem unveiled a permanent “815” logo on the outfield wall to the left of center between the Welcome to Fifth Third Field sign and the 381-foot marker.
“Definitely a lot of emotions,” Mayse said. “I go back to day one when we opened the gates at Fifth Third Field in April 2000. At that point you’re just trying to get one game under your belt. But to know 12 years later we hit the 815 mark, it’s not only good for the Dayton Dragons, but for the community.
“It’s definitely a tribute to the fans of this area. To me, that’s what’s important about this entire night.”
In the interest of further thanking the fans, the Dragons after the game handed out free posters featuring a night view of Fifth Third Field.
The players, meanwhile, had been bracing for this for the past week or so, curious as to how bloated their stadium could get. There have, in fact, been larger crowds at Fifth Field, but perhaps none more significant.
“It’s always exciting playing in front of this crowd,” relief pitcher Drew Hayes said. “We talked about it a little on the road and a little bit today. All of us are fortunate to be playing in this environment.”
The crowd cheered a home run by Donald Lutz in the second inning that put the Dragons up 2-1, then increased the volume in the fifth as Oburn stood at home plate to tell them what they already knew, that they had made history.
It took a few innings for the multi-colored streamers to disengage from the protective netting behind home plate, but otherwise, no hitches or glitches.
“Everything was just a little more exciting tonight,” Lutz said. “Just a fun day. Everyone had a blast out there.”
Team president Bob Murphy, Deutsch and Mayse all have been with the Dragons from the beginning, so the night was extra special for them. Also in attendance was Art Matin, CEO of Mandalay Baseball Properties, which founded the team and continues to operate it.
“From my desk, I’m thankful for the great people we’ve had a chance to work with,” Murphy said. “They’re committed and smart, and they all bought into the vision, and I’m really, really lucky and blessed to have people like that working with us.”
“I’m really happy for Gary, Eric and Bob, and their families,” Matin said. “It was a special moment to watch them celebrate with their wives standing next to them and feel the emotion. ... Nothing happened here by accident, and they care deeply about the community and the fans. This is really a special accomplishment. I hope everybody is happy and proud about it.”
How long can the streak go?
Said Matin, “We’ve coined the phrase that this is a love affair between the team and the community. We hope it goes on forever.”
He then turned to a smiling Murphy, who added, “I think 1,000 is a nice round number. ... I can’t imagine Dayton baseball not being a sold-out situation.”
Dragons manager Delino DeShields, who played in more than 1,600 major-league games, knew this day was coming and did not mind the disruption, although he admitted being in first place helped.
“The fact that we’re playing good baseball ... it’s good timing,” said DeShields, in his first season here. “This is a good thing for a minor-league franchise.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@ DaytonDailyNews.com
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