Game 69: Revolution 16-4

“It’s the same game. The difference is I’m at the top level and the stadiums are bigger.”

Jason Perry

	Nick Renault 3-3, 5.37 ERA		Frank Castillo 0-0, 8.62 ERA

While the Barnstormers were making an unlikely comeback Friday night, a would-be member of the team was putting an exclamation mark on his own improbable story.

Jason Perry made a loud entrance in his big-league debut, launching an RBI triple in his first at-bat. In the span of less than three months, Perry went from out-of-work slugger to man of the moment with the Atlanta Braves.

The various news outlets have tried to capture his remarkable revival. He’s a Georgia resident and former Georgia Tech star. The hometown boy makes good angle has made the rounds.

No one has mentioned the internal debate Perry faced when he was released by the Tigers at the end of spring training.

“Do I want to keep going or try a different life?” he asked himself back in April.

This question is buried within every Atlantic Leaguer. By the time a player filters down to independent ball, he is forced to face his baseball mortality. It’s impossible to ignore the fact the end of a career could be near.

“There always comes a time,” Perry said as a member of the Barnstormers in spring training. “We all play this game to get to the big leagues and if somebody says you’re not good enough, it depends on how you take that decision.

“You have to weigh things. I’m not getting any younger. There’s still a good bit of time left, but I just wanted to put everything out on the table and figure out what I want to do. I want to keep giving it a go.”

It was obviously the right decision.

Perry, who turns 28 next month, was coming off a 25-homer season spent mostly in Triple-A. There was reason to believe he could still make it. After he was signed by the Braves on April 18, the left-handed hitting outfielder smashed 18 homers in 69 games. More importantly, he found himself in an organization that was willing to give him a chance. He went from indy ball to the big leagues in 75 days.

So the next time you see a star in the Atlantic League and you wonder why he keeps going, why he still plays despite being off the big-league radar and absent a big-league paycheck, this story is the answer. Deep down everyone wonders if their career can follow the same path as Perry’s.

---

Box score:

RECORD: 30-39

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chris Ashby

York’s first baseman went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs. He belted a two-run homer in the second inning.

NOTABLE:

*Over his last two starts, Nick Renault has allowed 16 earned runs on 15 hits in 7 1/3 innings. Both resulted in losses.

*The Barnstormers’ pitchers have been pounded lately. Excluding Josh Hall’s gem against York Thursday, the staff has allowed 56 runs in its last five games. If this team is going to count on pitching to carry its lineup early in the second half, this is a bad sign.

*The blowouts losses have started to happen more frequently. The Barnstormers have lost by scores of 12-2, 11-2 and 16-4 in the last six days. They also had a 19-4 loss on June 24. Remember when we wrote about run differential and how it indicated the Barnstormers were better than their results? Well, the run differential has shifted in the other direction. This team is -49 now. That’s bad. Real bad.

*Joe Evans made his first start and went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

*Jordan Herr broke up Frank Castillo’s no-hitter with an infield single in the sixth.

*The Barnstormers are 6-3 against the Revolution. The final game of the first half is Sunday.