Baseball Review // M&T People's, 7 Record-Journal Expos, 3 June 28th, 2022 Ceppa Field, Meriden, CT GHTBL

Official box score here :::

https://www.ghtbl.org/event/peoples-expos-3

Additional photos can be found here :::

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=raisedbycassettes&set=a.7721391637902343

What made this game intriguing going into it is that M&T People's had a rough start to their season but have now improved to a 5-4 record.   They seem to be doing more winning than losing and when they're sitting in fourth place right behind the Orioles it makes for an interesting matchup against the second place Expos.  Granted, on any night the last place team could defeat the first place team, though while that is possible it does not seem as likely.  The Colrs have set the middle of the standings at 5-5, so those Top 4 teams, any combination of them playing against each other, just doesn't feel like certain victory.

The Expos had AJ Hendrickson on the mound and this slowly became anything but a normal game for both teams.  The Expos had bases loaded in the first inning and Sebby Grignano made it to third base in the third but no runs came of it.   For both teams, the first three innings really seemed to go by rather quickly with little offense.

In the top of the fourth inning, Jordan Jeroszko hit a huge double which bounced off the fence in center.   While attempting to steal third base, Expos catcher Francisco Asencio threw it into left field allowing the first run of the game to score.   But in the bottom of the fourth inning, with two outs, Javon Malone hit a double of his own to bring in Justin Marks to tie the game 1-1.

From this point on, Peoples started hitting and the home plate umpire started getting worse and worse with calling balls and strikes.   There have been some bad umpires over time, but this just had to be one of the worst.   Blatant balls being called as strikes and vice versa.  When a pitch is at the hitter's shoulders there is a good chance it is not a strike.  

And then, of course, the problem is when you get these types of pitches, what do you do?  You let it go by but it isn't called a ball so you strikeout or you swing and the hit pops up and you fly out.  It's a no win situation and as the game got closer to the end this umpire just got worse and by the last inning it felt like he began calling everything strikes just so he could go home.

People's would put up two runs in the fifth inning, going up 3-1, another run in the sixth and then the Expos fate seemed sealed in the seventh when Brendan Lynch hit a three run homerun to right field.   While the Expos might have not had a fair shot at hitting because of the umpire, there is a lot to be said for the explosion of offense by People's during this game.  This team definitely has some power now and isn't the same team I saw lose to the Cardinals almost a month ago.

M&T People's will continue to be tested as they take on the second place Orioles on Thursday.  The Expos will once again face the Wallingford Cardinals tonight, only this time at Pat Wall Field in Wallingford.   Should the Expos and People's both win tonight, the standings could once again switch as the Expos and Orioles would change spots again.   The Jets are playing the Colts tonight and the Greeners tomorrow so they may have some trouble hanging onto first place as well.

The way that People's have turned their season around just goes to show that no team is really out of it yet, but the standings going into this weekend is going to say a lot as the GHTBL takes a break from July 1st through the 4th.   A lot of the exciting action at the top is still to be had as the Colts and Expos haven't even met yet this season.