Sonstiges » Cincinnati catcher Tucker Barnhart could hear the difference

Great American Ball Park http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-starlin-castro-jersey , one of six major league stadiums that set record lows for attendance this year.“It’s pretty hard to not notice it when you can hear the light towers buzzing,” he said.Major League Baseball’s average attendance dropped 4 percent to 28,830, its lowest since 2003 after 14 consecutive seasons topping 30,000.Baltimore’s Camden Yards, Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field, Minnesota’s Target Field, Miami’s Marlins Park and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park also drew their smallest attendance since opening as part of a ballpark boom. In a season of unusually cold and wet weather, 17 of the 30 teams experienced drops.Major League Baseball attributed the decrease primarily “connected to the historically bad weather we faced back in the spring” and noted the percentage drop decreased markedly after May 1.Total attendance fell to 69.63 million from 72.67 million last year and a high of 79.5 million in 2007. The average is down 14.4 percent from its high of 32,785 in 2007, the last year before the Great Recession. It had not been this low since 28,013 in 2003.“I think it is a concerning number, and a think a lot of factors go into it in today’s climate, particularly when fans have as many options as they have in where they’re spending their entertainment dollar,” players’ association head Tony Clark said.On-field success and attendance usually are linked.“When teams rebuild, it always has an attendance effect,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.The NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers set a club record, Colorado drew its biggest crowds since 2001, World Series champion Houston since 2007 and the New York Yankees since 2012 — including a new Yankee Stadium record 23 sellouts.But advance sales were down for several teams that jettisoned veterans and went with youth. Under the five-year labor contract agreed to before the 2017 season, limits were placed on spending for international amateurs following restrictions that began in 2012 on amateurs who reside in the U.S. More cost certainty for controllable players may have encouraged more teams to rebuild at the same time.“If our system encourages teams to be either all in or all out, there are some things worth discussing and we look forward to having those conversations,” Clark said.The Orioles (47-115), White Sox (62-100) Martin Prado Jersey , Marlins (63-98) and Reds (67-95) had among the poorest records, while the Twins had a losing season at 78-84.“People have a lot of decisions to make in their life about what they’re doing with their commitments and money and what have you. It’s up to us to give them something they want to embrace,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “Attendance is down. It’s our fault, not theirs.”But the Pirates contended until late in the season and finished 82-79, yet fell by more than 450,000 to 1.65 million, the smallest for the franchise since 1996 at Three Rivers Stadium. Perhaps the cause was a lingering effect from trading away stars Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole the previous offseason.Cleveland fell by 120,000 even though the Indians won their third straight AL Central title.Despite a 90-72 record and third-place finish in the AL East, Tampa Bay was 29th in the major leagues at 1.15 million. The Rays and Oakland Athletics are the last two teams seeking new ballparks.“I know it’s a hassle getting to the ballpark. I get it. Even if we’d have won 100 games, who knows if it would have been different?” Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said.In its first season under new chief executive office Derek Jeter, the Marlins drew 811,000 after trading star slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees, the low for a franchise that started in 1993 and the fewest home fans for any major league team since the 2004 Montreal Expos in their last season before moving to Washington, D.C. The Marlins said they changed their counting method to include only tickets sold. Still, the vast amount of empty seats is unsustainable.“That’s something we need to improve,” Jeter said. “Where we’re starting from, the only way we can go is up.”Bad weather played a factor in the falloff, especially earn in the season. The average of 26,867 through April was down 9.4 percent from 29,654 through the first full month in 2017. There were 54 postponements, the most since 1989, and 26 of them were higher-drawing weekend games. Manfred said 35 games in April had a temperature of 40 degrees or less and a quarter of the games were played in 50 degrees or under.“We got ourselves in a hole that I’ve never seen since I’ve been in baseball,” said Manfred http://www.marlinsfanproshop.com/authentic-starlin-castro-jersey , who first got involved in the sport as an outside counsel in 1987.Still, he knows changes in the sport and the audience have to be examined constantly.“All live entertainment is challenging because of changing habits,” Manfred said. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon could smile about his base-running mistake because of an otherwise great game.Gordon homered, doubled twice and singled as the Kansas City Royals stopped a 10-game losing streak, racing to a big lead and beating the Cleveland Indians 8-1 Friday night.“Yeah, bad turns around the bases,” Gordon said of getting thrown out at third while trying to stretch his second double into a triple. “We practice that all spring training. You’re supposed to hit it with the right foot and cut the corners. I think both bases I hit it with the left foot and almost fell down.”Gordon said he was definitely thinking about a cycle.“When I was going around first I kind of thought about it. I was like, ‘Let’s try to get a triple here.’ You’re never supposed to get the third out at third, but I wanted to try for it.“I knew I had a double and a homer. The hardest one to get, especially for me, is probably the triple. That was the perfect situation. They had a good relay, and I’m not that fast anymore.”Gordon homered during a six-run first inning against Carlos Carrasco (1-2).The 10-game losing streak was the longest for the Royals since last June 29-July 9, when they also lost 10 straight. Starting pitcher Brad Keller said it was on everyone’s mind, though they were confident it would end soon.“That was kind of the vibe in the clubhouse — when is it going to happen, especially after a tough loss yesterday (to Seattle in 10 innings). To go out there and (have) the offense put up six runs in the first, it was very comforting to go out there and pitch.”The Royals hit for the cycle in the opening inning — Whit Merrifield led off with a single, Adalberto Mondesi followed with a triple and Gordon homered, with Chris Owings‘ two-out, two-run double finishing Carrasco.“Right off the bat, (he) just didn’t look like he was letting it go with conviction,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Carrasco. “Pitching out of the stretch after the first hitter, it just unraveled from there. That makes it really tough on the staff Wei-Yin Chen Jersey , because then you’re looking at trying to go eight innings with your bullpen, which puts a real strain on everybody.”Keller (2-1) gave up one run on three hits, striking out a career-high 10 in 6 2/3 innings. He has pitched at least six innings in nine straight starts, the longest active streak in the majors.Keller’s 118 pitches were the most by a Royals starter since James Shields threw 124 on July 29, 2014.“I felt good,” Keller said about heading to the mound with 105 pitches in the seventh. “I didn’t feel like it bothered me much. My whole goal was to pump strikes, to prove to them I could go out there and pitch with 105 pitches.“Besides the five walks, the 10 punches (strikeouts) were good. Maybe if I don’t walk any guys, I get deeper in the ballgame. That was the one downfall from tonight.”Tyler Naquin hit a 420-foot home run in the second, snapping a streak of 54 innings in which Keller hadn’t allowed a homer. It had been the longest active string in majors.The Royals added a run in the sixth on a double steal.TRAINER’S ROOMIndians: SS Francisco Lindor is going to run the bases again Saturday, according to manager Terry Francona. Lindor has not played this season with a right calf strain and a left ankle sprain. “If all goes well, then we’re going to reconnect with the doctor, and see what he thinks the next step is,” Francona said. … 2B Jason Kipnis is on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Columbus. Francona said he’s doing well recovering from a low-grade right calf strain, and he expects to see Kipnis sometime on the current road trip to Kansas City and Seattle.Royals: CF Billy Hamilton was kept out of the lineup with a mild MCL sprain and a bone bruise on his left knee. He tried to make a game-saving catch with two outs in the ninth inning of Thursday’s loss to Seattle. The Mariners had two runners on, down 6-4, when Mitch Haniger drove one to the wall in left center. Hamilton battled the wind and the sun before crashing into the wall. “When I first did it I thought it was way worse than what it turned out to be,” Hamilton said. “I’m happy about that. It’s too early to be in that situation. I’ll do everything I can to get back in the lineup. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. I can play through a little pain.”ROSTER NEWSIndians RHP Jefry Rodriguez was being called up from Triple-A Columbus after the game. He will make his first start with the Indians after one start with Columbus, where he allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.UP NEXTIndians RHP Jefry Rodriguez will make his season debut for the Cleveland. He was acquired by Cleveland as part of the trade that sent Yan Gomes following the 2018 season.Royals RHP Homer Bailey (0-1, 9.00 ERA) will be looking for his first victory since May 12 of last season.