One can only imagine the penalty Ware now might face for asking his girlfriend, Maria Garay, to marry him on the Fifth Third Field Jumbotron between halves of the fifth inning Wednesday night with the Kane County Cougars in town. The Dragons fell 6-3.
Maria, from Horn Lake, Miss., said yes, and the couple embraced on the field, delighting a crowd that had little to cheer about in a scoreless game delayed about 90 minutes by rain at the outset.
Ware’s successful public proposal added to what is shaping up as a charmed season for the 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-hander, who is 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA and one save in 13 appearances. He has struck out 30 and walked six in 36 innings, and opponents are hitting .219 against him.
Numbers like those, plus a current scoreless streak of 171/3 innings, tend to catch the attention of higher-ups who might see him as a starter or closer down the road. Dragons pitching coach Tony Fossas would like to see Ware remain a middle reliever, however, as he climbs the chain.
“Sometimes we make the mistake of taking a guy out of his comfort zone if he’s doing really well,” Fossas said. “I believe if someone is doing really well, leave him where he’s at. That might be where his comfort zone is.”
No ‘Home Run’
Wednesday’s “Home Run For Life” celebration was postponed after rain delayed the start of the game nearly 90 minutes.
Bailey Allen, a 10-year-old cancer survivor, had been scheduled to run the bases after the third inning. Her moment in the spotlight is now set for Aug. 11 during a game against Lansing.
Dragons tales
• That the Dragons were 10 games under .500 going into Wednesday’s play and a game out of last place was no fault of the bullpen, which had a 1.61 ERA over its last 832/3 innings spanning 22 games.
• In their 19 games prior to Wednesday, the Dragons had gone 5-14 and committed 33 errors to their opponents’ 13.
• Means had three infield singles Wednesday, giving him 21 for the season.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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